In 2021, fans got to see Will Ospreay take his place among legends when he would win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship from Kota Ibushi. Ospreay was seemingly set for a massive run with the belt, only to have things cut short by an injury suffered in his first match as champion. Now, two years later – Ospreay was given a chance to reflect on this career halting injury.
Shingo Takagi Always Pushes Ospreay To New Levels
While speaking with Renee Paquette on The Sessions, Ospreay would be talking about how Shingo Takagi is his greatest rival – constantly pushing him to new levels – including their 46 minute long match that led to the injury.
“Shingo tests me when it comes to the ring of trying to find new intricate ways of being able to perform our style of match. I do feel like we have a different way of looking at pro wrestling. We did a match in May at Wrestling Dontaku and that was one of the most hellacious nights for us because the night before, all the card was fine, and then a couple of COVID breakouts, and this is brand new, a couple of wrestlers got COVID, we were like, ‘Ah shit.’ We had to defer everyone’s brain away from that and we just went out there for like 46 minutes. It was a real long match, but it was constantly moving. To do that in silence is some of the hardest shit I’ve done in my life.”
Will Ospreay Knew He Was Hurt And Needed Time Off
Talking about the injury itself – Ospreay had the following to say.
t was hard as well because that’s the one I got injured in. There was a point in May where I had performed a shooting star press in that match, I guess it was a little further than what I usually had, but instead of my body hitting [flat], it hit [up] and I kind of scorpion’d or cobra’d in a weird way. I felt this pop go off in my back and I had never felt it before. I injured my back and I’ve had an injured neck for ages. By the end of the match, I was proper fucking battered. Japan did a mad national lockdown, and I was like, ‘I’m going to take time off’ and go and see what the injuries were. I went home, got it looked at, got MRIs, I was fucked. I’ll keep the actual full extent of the injuries to myself because I don’t think it’s anyone’s business, but it’s one of those ones where I was so mangled. I could have gone through with it, I could have done the naughty way of going about it, but for the first time I was like, ‘I’m hurt, I need to go home and sort this out.’ It was building upon things, there was a lot of mental pressure on us and all these injuries, it was so bad.”
Ospreay would be stripped of the title, and has been unable to reclaim it. He lost the IWGP United States at Wrestle Kingdom 17 to Kenny Omega.
How long would Ospreay have reigned without getting injured? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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