Will Ospreay: I’ve Got Another 5 Years Of My Natural Athleticism Before I Have To Tone It Down In The Ring

Will Ospreay says he’s got 5 years of his natural athleticism left before he’ll have to tone down his style of wrestling.

At AEW Revolution earlier this year, Will Ospreay made his return after undergoing neck surgery. Since then, Ospreay has aligned with the Death Riders and is currently looking forward to winning the Owen Hart Cup.

Speaking with Baby Huey on 107.7 The Bone, Ospreay was asked about his recovery from neck injury. Ospreay mentioned that there are a lot of things he can’t do anymore due to his injury, but he still believes there are a few years left before he’ll have to tone things down in the ring.

“The moment I had my surgery, I had restrictions. There was things that I can’t do after all the swelling went down and the wound healed up. I still had to get the flexibility in my neck again,” he said. “There’s certain things now that I can’t do anymore. This is the furthest I can put my head back. I can’t go back any further than that. … I’m just over the moon. I had a second chance of that. It’s just learning how to adapt to my style to get the things. I found it very easy because my muscle memory for a lot of my tricks is still there. I know it’s slightly fading a little bit, but I still think I’ve got another five years of my natural athleticism before I have to really tone it down.” 

When asked if he’s noticed there needs to be a change in the style of his wrestling, Ospreay said:

“I’ve worked a little bit on my ground game now. That’s why I’m introducing an armbar as a part of my moveset now. It’s been working. The training that we’ve been doing has been real good. Just exploring those different avenues. But it just depends on how long term that we’re thinking. If you want to do five years, of course, I’m thinking about that. But even 10 years, of course, I’m thinking about it. But who knows? I might start slowing down. I have no idea how long this ride is going to be. I’m just enjoying every single minute of it. I don’t want to put too much pressure on thinking long term. I’d rather just feel the flow now.”

Ospreay is currently scheduled to take on Swerve Strickland in the Owen Hart Foundation tournament finals at AEW Forbidden Door. The full lineup for the event is available here.

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