Will Ospreay was revealed as AEW’s blockbuster signing as AEW adds yet another “best in the world” prototype to its crowded roster. Ospreay said he wasn’t going to sign with AEW just yet, and begged fans to please let him finish up with New Japan Pro Wrestling.
While Tony Khan has delivered on some of hits big announcements, like the arrival of CM Punk, or the announcement of All In, Khan’s announcements have become a parody of themselves. The AEW President and CEO has gone to that well far too often, with his most recent major announcement being the tepid reveal of presale tickets for All In 2024.
Khan and AEW have a solid track record of revealing big-name free agents on pay-per-view. The AEW debuts of Mark Henry, Christian Cage (which was seen as a disappointment at the time), Adam Cole and Bryan Danielson all happened on AEW pay-per-views.
This time around, Khan took to Twitter to tease AEW had signed one of the best wrestlers in the world.
“AEW has agreed to terms with one of the world’s best wrestlers, a pro who is known + respected by virtually every @AEW fan! They’ll come to LA to sign their contract THIS SATURDAY 11/18 on ppv at #AEWFullGear! [sic,” announced Khan via Twitter.
Speculation began to grow as Khan had successfully created a buzz around AEW’s currently struggling product. Mercedes Mone quickly emerged as the leader in the clubhouse, though some reports suggested this was not the case. Dolph Ziggler, Goldberg, Ronda Rousey (who made a surprise appearance in ROH last night) and even Will Ospreay joined the fantasy booking sweepstakes. But given the clues of “best wrestler in the world” who is respected by a small audience of AEW fans, all signs pointed to Ospreay. Ospreay’s contract with NJPW runs through February 2024. He stressed patience to fans before teasing another match at All In 2024.
Pro wrestling is embedded throughout the DNA of AEW, but as evidenced by its declining attendance numbers, professional wrestling alone is not enough to transcend the product. AEW has an abundance of “best wrestler in the world” prototypes, but that calling card has only taken them so far. If AEW is to get the most out of its latest signing, they’ll need to do it with a mixture of character development, storytelling and pro wrestling, in that order.