Will Ospreay Working Through Legitimate Neck Injury Ahead of Forbidden Door

Will Ospreay’s highly anticipated Unsanctioned Lights Out Steel Cage Match at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door: London isn’t just compelling because of the story being told in the ring—it’s also grounded in some very real circumstances for “The Aerial Assassin.”

According to multiple reports, Ospreay is currently battling legitimate neck problems that go beyond the scripted storyline. The injury has reportedly become severe enough that surgery is no longer a matter of if, but when. Sources indicate that Ospreay has already begun exploring surgical options, with plans in place to move forward sooner rather than later.

That decision will sideline him for an extended period, as neck surgery typically requires months of recovery and rehabilitation before a full return to action. While fans will no doubt be disappointed by his absence, the hope is that Ospreay will come back fully healthy and able to continue performing at the high level that has made him one of the most exciting names in wrestling today.

For now, all eyes remain on Forbidden Door, where Ospreay is set to compete through the pain in what could be one of his last matches before going under the knife.

Backstage Update on Will Ospreay’s Injury Status: AEW Star Facing Neck Setback

AEW standout Will Ospreay has been noticeably absent from in-ring competition since early July, when he teamed with Swerve Strickland to defeat The Young Bucks at All In. While Ospreay recently addressed his absence on AEW Dynamite, revealing that he’s been dealing with herniated discs in his neck, there’s now more insight into just how serious his condition might be.

According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reports that Ospreay has been battling neck issues for months. The severity of the injury, however, only became fully apparent to him recently. That delay in diagnosis mirrors a similar situation WWE’s Kevin Owens faced earlier this year—though in Owens’ case, the damage was reportedly worse and may keep him sidelined into 2026.

Ospreay had expressed optimism about returning by Forbidden Door, which is set for Sunday, August 24 at London’s O2 Arena. However, Meltzer is skeptical that timeline is realistic, suggesting a rushed comeback could jeopardize Ospreay’s long-term health and potentially shorten his career.

“Pro wrestling should be viewed as a marathon, not a sprint,” Meltzer wrote, emphasizing the importance of patience when it comes to injury recovery.

As of now, Ospreay is not officially booked for Forbidden Door. The show currently features “Timeless” Toni Storm defending the AEW Women’s World Championship against ROH Women’s Champion Athena, the Hurt Syndicate putting their AEW World Tag Team Titles on the line against the winners of an ongoing tag tournament, and a featured bout involving NJPW legend Hiroshi Tanahashi as he nears the twilight of his in-ring career.

Fans are hoping for a speedy recovery for Ospreay, but all signs point to AEW playing the long game with one of their top international stars—a wise move if they want him at 100% for the long haul.

Will Ospreay Written Off AEW TV to Heal Up From Lingering Injuries

AEW fans expecting to see more of Will Ospreay after All In will have to wait a little longer — and now we know why.

Ospreay was stretchered out during the All In main event in what initially seemed like a brutal storyline beat. But according to a new report from Fightful Select, the exit wasn’t just for show. The English star is reportedly dealing with minor injuries that have been piling up in recent weeks, and AEW officials decided it was time for him to take some real time off to recover. While there’s no exact timeline for his return, sources told Fightful that Ospreay is expected to miss more than a month of action.

Fans may recall that Ospreay recently suffered a broken nose during a match with Swerve Strickland — an injury he bounced back from quickly. However, it appears that other nagging issues have caught up with him.

At All In, Ospreay and Strickland joined forces to defeat The Young Bucks, former AEW World Tag Team Champions. But the night didn’t end there for Ospreay. In the show’s chaotic main event between Jon Moxley and Hangman Adam Page, Ospreay inserted himself to fend off Moxley’s Death Riders faction. His involvement led to him being attacked — first by Gabe Kidd, and then by Claudio Castagnoli, who viciously trapped Ospreay’s neck in a chair, setting up the dramatic stretcher spot.

Ospreay wasn’t the only surprise backup for Page. The match saw shocking returns from Bryan Danielson — who arrived in disguise to lay out Kidd, Castagnoli, and Wheeler Yuta — and Darby Allin, who delivered a Coffin Drop onto the trio.

For now, AEW will be without one of its top international stars as Ospreay takes time to rest and heal. Given his track record, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him back sooner rather than later — but it sounds like this time, the break is much needed.

Will Ospreay Says He’s Retiring This Controversial Move After AEW Dynasty Dream Match

The dream match between Will Ospreay and Bryan Danielson at AEW Dynasty was everything that wrestling fans wanted it to be: a dream. The two men went to war for over 30 minutes, with Ospreay picking up the victory after hitting a Storm Driver ’93 and a Hidden Blade. However, Danielson was visibly in pain after taking the Storm Driver ’93 to the point where doctors tried to get involved. Ospreay appeared at the AEW Dynasty post-show media scrum to talk about the match, where he opened up by apologizing to everyone after reviewing the footage and seeing the medical staff trying to get involved. 

“Within the confines of wrestling, I do go, like I said, in the ring it is more or less your life versus mine, until you kind of see it staring at you in the face of what I did and I’m honestly…I feel awful about this. So even though like 90% of the time, that move’s been absolutely fine, seeing the damage that it’s kind of done, I’m going to retire using the Storm Driver.”

Ospreay explained that after seeing what the Storm Driver ’93 did to Danielson – someone he has a huge amount of respect for and has wanted to wrestle since he was a child — it wouldn’t feel right continuing to use the move. The star then apologized to Danielson, the AEW medical team, and Tony Khan for being reckless in the ring, before the company President explained that Danielson would be okay and Ospreay should be proud of winning such a tremendous match.

Source: Wrestling Inc. credit to AEW post-show media scrum

Will Ospreay Debuts On AEW Dynamite, Leads United Empire Invasion

Cheeky Englishman Will Ospreay and his United Empire comrades ambushed FTR and Trent Beretta on this week’s AEW Dynamite on TBS.

Will Ospreay made his All Elite Wrestling debut when he and his United Empire cronies (Aaron Henare, Mark Davis, and Kyle Fletcher) ambushed FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) and Trent Beretta on this week’s edition of AEW Dynamite on TBS.

It all went down at the Cable Dahmer Arena in Kansas City, Missouri on Wednesday, June 8. The segment began with Trent Beretta cutting a promo in which he addressed the ROH World Tag Team Title match from the May 25 edition of Dynamite, which ended in a double disqualification when United Empire member Great-O-Khan and Jeff Cobb interfered, allowing FTR to retain the gold while screwing Roppongi Vice in the process.

FTR came to the ring and informed Trent that he needs to take his grievances up with “Will Ospreay’s bitch boys” in United Empire … and then the man himself arrived on the scene.

Former IWGP Heavyweight Champion appeared on the ramp, which distracted FTR and Trent long enough for Aaron Henare and Aussie Open (Mark Davis & Kyle Fletcher) to ambush the trio from behind. Ospreay got involved in the ensuing brawl which allowed United Empire to maintain the upper hand and leave their enemies reeling. Ospreay hit Rent with a Hidden Blade and the UE celebrated as the segment drew to a close.

Later in the night, it was announced that Ospreay and Aussie Open would take on FTR and Trent in trios action on this week’s Rampage.

Ospreay was sidelined with a neck injury last May and was forced to relinquish the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship he’d won the previous month at Sakura Genesis. Ospreay sustained the injury during a match against Shingo Takagi, who would go on to defeat Kazuchika Okada for the vacant championship at Dominion on June 7.

The Essex boy shocked the wrestling world when he gatecrashed NJPW’s Resurgence event which emanated live from The Torch at LA Coliseum in Los Angeles, California on Saturday, August 14. The 28-year-old revealed that he was medically cleared to compete and proclaimed that he was the rightful IWGP World Heavyweight Champion since he never actually lost the title.

Source: TheSportster

Will Ospreay Gives Status Update For NJPW G1 Climax 29

Two days ago, IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay announced he had a neck injury that was going to keep him out of action on night four of the G1 Climax. Ospreay was scheduled to team up with Yota Tsuji and Yuya Uemura to face Kota Ibushi, Shota Umino and Jushin Thunder Liger. The match ended up being Ibushi and Liger versus Shota Umino and Tsuji.

“Sorry I couldn’t make it out there guys,” Ospreay wrote on Twitter. “I’m in a huge amount of pain right now but New Japan is giving me all the best treatment and taking great care of my health. I’ll do my best to continue the G1.”

Yesterday, Ospreay provided an update on his status for the tournament and it looks like things are now good to go for his A Block match against Kota Ibushi.

“Death can kiss me all it wants, it never nails me,” Ospreay wrote. “Translation: I got the green light. See you tomorrow Korakuen.”

The tournament continues tomorrow with the following matches.

* KENTA vs. Lance Archer
* EVIL vs. SANADA
* Kazuchika Okada vs. Bad Luck Fale
* Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
* Kota Ibushi vs. Will Ospreay

Here are the current standings.

A Block

* Lance Archer (4 pts)
* KENTA (4 pts)
* Kazuchika Okada (4 pts)
* Bad Luck Fale (2 pts)
* SANADA (2 pts)
* EVIL (2 pts)
* Will Ospreay (2 pts)
* Kota Ibushi (0 pts)
* Zack Sabre Jr. (0 pts)
* Hiroshi Tanahashi (0 pts)

B Block

* Tomohiro Ishii (4 pts)
* Jon Moxley (4 pts)
* Juice Robinson (4 pts)
* Hirooki Goto (2 pts)
* Toru Yano (2 pts)
* Taichi (2 pts)
* Shingo Takagi (2 pts)
* Jeff Cobb (0 pts)
* Tetsuya Naito (0 pts)
* Jay White (0 pts)

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Will Ospreay To Miss G1 Climax Action Due To An Injury

Will Ospreay was missing in action during today’s G1 Climax event. According to New Japan Pro Wrestling, the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion is currently injured. They went into detail stating that it was a neck injury and he will not be at night four in Hokkaido.

Ospreay was scheduled to team up with Yota Tsuji and Yuya Uemura to face Kota Ibushi, Shota Umino and Jushin Thunder Liger. The match ended up being Ibushi and Liger v. Shota Umino and Tsuji. The company mentioned that he is not suffering from skeletal or nervous issues. As of now, his status for this Thursday’s G1 event will be determined following an evaluation. Ospreay is supposed to face Ibushi inside Korakuen Hall that day. He currently has two points.

Ospreay posted the following on Twitter following the announcement:

“Sorry I couldn’t make it out there guys. I’m in a huge amount of pain right now but New Japan is giving me all the best treatment and taking great care of my health. I’ll do my best to continue the G1.”

https://twitter.com/WillOspreay/status/1150613676266704897

Source: Wrestling Inc.