Will Ospreay

Dec 14, 2016 - by Jamie Cruickshank

Real name: William Ospreay
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 174 lbs.
Date of birth: May 7, 1993
Hometown: London, England
Pro debut: April 1, 2012
Trained by: London School of Lucha Libre
Finishing move: Hidden Blade

Biography

– Ospreay began wrestling in his backyard and for several backyard promotions in his local area
– After training with the Lucha Britannia promotion, Ospreay debuted for them as ‘Dark Brittanico’
– By June 2012, Ospreay was wrestling under his real name
– In early 2013, Ospreay and Paul Robinson formed ‘The Swords of Essex’
– On June 1, 2013, Dark Brittanico defeated Metallico to win the Lucha Brittania Title
– On June 15, 2013, The Swords of Essex defeated Project Ego (Kris Travis & Martin Kirby) to win the RPW British Tag Team Titles
– On August 18, 2013, The Swords of Essex defeated Mark Haskins & El Ligero by DQ to retain the RPW British Tag Team Titles
– On December 8, 2013, The Swords of Essex defeated The London Riots (James Davis & Rob Lynch) to retain the RPW British Tag Team Titles
– On May 1, 2014, Dark Brittanico defeated The Bengal Tiger to win the Lucha Brittania Title
– On May 11, 2014, The Swords of Essex defeated The London Riots, The Alpha Males (Iestyn Rees & Charlie Garrett) and The Bhangra Knights (Darrell Allen & RJ Singh) in an Elimination Match to win the vacant FPW Tag Team Titles
– On September 14, 2014, The Swords of Essex defeated Terry Striker & The Warden to retain the FPW Tag Team Titles
– On October 19, 2014, Ospreay defeated Rich Swann & Josh Bodom in a 3-Way Match to win the RPW British Cruiserweight Title
– 5 days later, The Swords of Essex defeated The Addiction (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian) to retain the FPW Tag Team Titles
– On October 25, 2014, Ospreay defeated Curry Man, El Ligero, Kay Lee Ray, Rich Swann & Robbie X in an Elimination Match to win the SWE Speed King Title
– On November 9, 2014, Ospreay defeated Josh Bodom to retain the RPW British Cruiserweight Title
– On November 21, 2014, Ospreay defeated Uhaa Nation to retain the SWE Speed King Title
– On February 22, 2015, Ospreay defeated Rocky Romero to retain the RPW British Cruiserweight Title
– A week later, Ospreay defeated Mark Andrews in a Best of 3 Falls Match, then defeated Andrew Everett, Jimmy Havoc & Johnny Gargano in a 4-Way Match, both to retain the SWE Speed King Title
– On April 5, 2015, Ospreay defeated Jimmy Havoc to retain the RPW British Cruiserweight Title
– Later that week, Ospreay defeated Pete Dunne to retain the SWE Speed King Title
– On April 18, 2015, Ospreay defeated Preston Sage, Dowan, Sean Wilson, Theodore Powers & Thomas Dracuul to win the RCWA Elite-1 Title
– The next day, Ospreay defeated Ryan Smile to retain the SWE Speed King Title
– On May 25, 2015, Ospreay defeated El Ligero, Roderick Strong, Mark Haskins & Zack Sabre Jr to win the PROGRESS Super Strong Style Tournament
– On June 14, 2015, Ospreay defeated Matt Sydal in a Best of 3 Falls Match to retain the RPW British Cruiserweight Title
– On July 26, 2015, Ospreay defeated Jimmy Havoc in a No-DQ Match to win the PROGRESS Title
– Ospreay competed in the 2015 PWG Battle of Los Angeles, reaching the semi-finals. Incidentally, this was his first appearance outside the UK
– On September 6, 2015, Ospreay defeated Mark Haskins to retain the PROGRESS Title
– On November 29, 2015, Ospreay defeated Mark Andrews to retain the PROGRESS Title
– On December 6, 2015, Ospreay defeated Morgan Webster & Zack Gibson to retain the PROGRESS Title
– In January 2016, Ospreay made several appearances for TNA
– In March 2016, Ospreay was unveiled as a member of the New Japan roster
– Ospreay made his NJPW debut at Invasion Attack ’16, unsuccessfully challenging for KUSHIDA’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title. He would become part of the CHAOS stable
– At Wrestling Dontaku ’16, CHAOS (Ospreay, YOSHI-HASHI, Gedo & Kazushi Sakuraba) defeated David Finlay, Jay White, Tiger Mask & Ryusuke Taguchi
– Ospreay entered the 2016 Best of the Super Juniors Tournament. His run in the tournament became infamous for his match against Ricochet. The highly gymnastic style of the match led to mass debate in wrestling circles, with some praising the athleticism and others criticising it for appearing too scripted
– Ospreay went on to win the Best of the Super Juniors Tournament, topping Block B before defeating Ryusuke Taguchi in the final. He became the first Brit to win the tournament, as well as the youngest ever winner.
– On July 10, 2016, Ospreay defeated Pete Dunne to win the RPW British Cruiserweight Title
– On August 7, 2016, Ospreay defeated Andrew Everett to win the SWE Speed King Title
– A week later, Ospreay defended the SWE Speed King Title against PJ Black
– On August 26, 2016, Ospreay defeated Pete Dunne to retain the RPW British Cruiserweight Title
– Ospreay reached the final of the 2016 PWG Battle of Los Angeles, losing to Marty Scurll
– At King of Pro Wrestling ’16, CHAOS (Ospreay, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI) defeated BULLET CLUB (Adam Cole, Yujiro Takahashi & Bad Luck Fale)
– In November 2016, Ospreay signed an ‘exclusive’ contract with ROH, though would also be able to compete in the UK and Japan for other promotions
– On November 18, 2016, defeated Bobby Fish to win the ROH Television Title, though would lose it to Marty Scurll two days later
– At The New Beginning in Sapporo ’17, CHAOS (Ospreay, Gedo & Jado) defeated Katsuyori Shibata, Juice Robinson & Yoshitatsu
– On February 12, 2017, The Swords of Essex (Ospreay & Scott Wainwright) defeated El Ligero & Gabriel Kidd, Johnny Moss & Liam Slater and Prospect (Alex Gracie & Lucas Archer) in a Ladder Match to win the WCPW Tag Team Titles
– The next day, The Swords of Essex defeated Drew Galloway & Martin Kirby to retain the WCPW Tag Team Titles
– On March 13, The Swords of Essex defeated The South Coast Connection (Kelly Sixx & Ashley Dunn) to retain the WCPW Tag Team Titles
– A week later, The Swords of Essex defeated Matt Riddle & Liam Slater, Prospect (Alex Gracie & Lucas Archer) and The Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson) to retain the WCPW Tag Team Titles
– On March 21, Ospreay defeated Martin Kirby & Rampage to win the WCPW Pro Wrestling World Cup English Qualifier
– At Supercard of Honor XI, Ospreay & Volador Jr defeated Jay White & Dragon Lee
– At Wrestling Dontaku ’17, CHAOS (Ospreay & YOSHI-HASHI) defeated The Bullet Club (Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens)
– Ospreay entered the 2017 Best of the Super Juniors Tournament, but was defeated in the final by KUSHIDA
– On June 16, The Swords of Essex defeated Prospect (Alex Gracie & Lucas Archer) to retain the WCPW Tag Team Titles
– On August 4, Ospreay defeated Robbie Eagles to win the PWA Heavyweight Title
– The next day, Ospreay defeated Adam Brooks to win the MCW Intercommonwealth Title
– In late-August, Ospreay defeated Rey Mysterio, Mike Bailey and Ricochet to reach the final of the WCPW Pro Wrestling World Cup, but lost to KUSHIDA in the final
– At King of Pro Wrestling ’17, Ospreay defeated KUSHIDA to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title, but would lose it to Marty Scurll in his first defense
– At Wrestle Kingdom 12, Ospreay defeated Scurll, KUSHIDA & Hiromu Takahashi to regain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title
– At The New Beginning ’18, Ospreay defeated Hiromu Takahashi to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title
– At NJPW Strong Style Evolved, in Long Beach, California, Ospreay defeated Jushin Thunder Liger
– At Sakura Genesis ’18, Ospreay defeated Marty Scurll to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title
– At Wrestling Dontaku ’18, Ospreay defeated KUSHIDA to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title
– Ospreay competed on the revived World of Sport show for ITV in the UK
– At King of Pro Wrestling ’18, CHAOS (Ospreay, Tomohiro Ishii & Hirooki Goto) defeated Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, Takashi Iizuka & Taichi)
– On December 30, 2018, The Swords of Essex (Ospreay & Paul Robinson) defeated Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) to win the PROGRESS Tag Team Titles
– At Wrestle Kingdom 13, Ospreay defeated Kota Ibushi to win the NEVER Openweight Title
– On January 11, 2019, at RevPro’s New Year Revolution, Ospreay defeated Chris Brookes to retain the NEVER Openweight Title
– On January 20, The Swords of Essex (Ospreay & Paul Robinson) defeated CCK (Chris Brookes & Kid Lykos) to retain the PROGRESS Tag Team Titles
– At Takashi Iizuka’s retirement show, Ospreay & Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr & Lance Archer)
– At Honor Rising ’19, Ospreay defeated Dalton Castle to retain the NEVER Openweight Title
– On February 24, 2019, The Swords of Essex (Ospreay & Paul Robinson) defeated Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) to retain the PROGRESS Tag Team Titles
– At Wrestling Hinokuni ’19, Ospreay & Dragon Lee defeated The Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori & HIKULEO)
– Ospreay won the 2019 Best of the Super Juniors Tournament, defeating Shingo Takagi in the final
– At Dominion ’19, Ospreay defeated Dragon Lee to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title
– At NJPW’s Southern Showdown event, Ospreay defeated Robbie Eagles to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title
– At King Of Pro Wrestling 2019, Ospreay defeated El Phantasmo to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title
– At Power Struggle 2019, Ospreay defeated BUSHI to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title
– On February 14, 2020, Ospreay defeated Zack Sabre Jr to win the RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Title
– On October 4, Ospreay defeated Kyle Fletcher to retain the RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Title
– On November 15, Ospreay defeated Ricky Knight Jr to retain the RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Title
– Ospreay won the 2021 New Japan Cup, defeating Shingo Takagi in the final
– At Sakura Genesis 2021, Ospreay defeated Kota Ibushi to win the IWGP Heavyweight Title
– At Wrestling Dontaku 2021, Ospreay defeated Shingo Takagi to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Title. Ospreay suffered a neck injury during the match and was forced to relinquish the title in May
– On August 21, Ospreay made his return to action for RevPro, defeating Doug Williams to retain the RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Title
– On September 19, Ospreay defeated Ricky Knight Jr to retain the RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Title
– On November 21, Ospreay defeated Shota Umino to retain the RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Title
– On December 12, Ospreay defeated Blake Christian & Trey Miguel to win the Warrior Wrestling Title
– Ospreay made his return to Japan at Wrestle Kingdom 16, teaming with Jeff Cobb & Great O-Khan to defeat LIJ’s BUSHI, SANADA & Tetsuya Naito
– On January 22, 2022, Ospreay defeated Brian Cage to retain the Warrior Wrestling Title
– On January 29, Ospreay defeated Michael Oku to retain the RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Title
– On April 23, Ospreay defeated Blake Christian to retain the Warrior Wrestling Title
– At Dominion 2022, Ospreay defeated SANADA to win the vacant IWGP United States Title
– At AEW Road Rager 2022, Ospreay defeated Dax Harwood
– At Forbidden Door, Ospreay defeated Orange Cassidy to retain the IWGP United States Title
– At RevPro’s 10-Year Anniversary Show, Ospreay defeated Mike Bailey to retain the RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Title on night one, but lost it to Ricky Knight Jr on night two
– On September 25, 2022, Ospreay defeated David Finlay to retain the IWGP United States Title
– At Royal Quest II night one, Ospreay defeated Shota Umino
– At Royal Quest II night two, United Empire (Ospreay, Great O-Khan, Kyle Fletcher, Mark Davis & Gideon Grey) defeated Cash Wheeler, Dax Harwood, Shota Umino, Gabriel Kidd & Ricky Knight Jr
– On November 5, Ospreay defeated Tetsuya Naito to retain the IWGP United States Title
– At the NJPW/Stardom X-Over event, Ospreay defeated Shota Umino to retain the IWGP United States Title
– At The New Beginning in Nagoya 2023, United Empire (Ospreay, Aaron Henare & Francesco Akira) defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi & DOUKI
– At The New Beginning in Sapporo 2023, Ospreay defeated Taichi
– At NJPW’s 51st Anniversary Show, United Empire (Ospreay, Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) defeated Tama Tonga, Toru Yano & Satoshi Kojima
– On April 22, Ospreay defeated Lance Archer, Cara Noir & Mark Haskins in the final of a tournament to become the first holder of the revived 1PW World Title
– At NJPW STRONG Resurgence 2023, Ospreay defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi
– At Dominion 2023, Ospreay defeated Lance Archer
– On June 10, Ospreay defeated Matt Cardona to retain the 1PW Heavyweight Title
– At Forbidden Door 2023, Ospreay defeated Kenny Omega to win the IWGP United States Title
– At RevPro’s 11th Anniversary Show, Ospreay defeated Shingo Takagi. Ospreay cut a promo after the match, suggesting that his time left on the UK indies was limited, seemingly indicating that he would be signing full-time with a major promotion in the near future
– Ospreay defeated Naomichi Marufuji at the latter’s 25th Anniversary Show
– At Destruction in Kobe 2023, Ospreay defeated Yota Tsuji to retain the IWGP United States Title
– At AEW WrestleDream, The Callis Family (Ospreay, Konosuke Takeshita & Sammy Guevara) defeated Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi & Chris Jericho
– At Royal Quest III, Ospreay defeated Yota Tsuji to retain the IWGP United States Title
– At Bound For Glory 2023, Ospreay defeated Mike Bailey
– At Turning Point 2023, Ospreay defeated Eddie Edwards
– At Power Struggle 2023, Ospreay defeated Shota Umino to retain the IWGP United States Title
– At Full Gear 2023, it was announced that Ospreay had signed with AEW
– At RevPro Uprising 2023, Ospreay defeated Gabe Kidd
– Ospreay made his first in-ring appearance as an official AEW wrestler at Revolution 2024, defeating Konosuke Takeshita
– At Dynasty 2024, Ospreay defeated Bryan Danielson
– At Double Or Nothing 2024, Ospreay defeated Roderick Strong to win the AEW International Title
– On the following episode of Collision, Ospreay defeated Kyle O’Reilly to retain the AEW International Title
– At Beach Break 2024, Ospreay defeated Daniel Garcia to retain the AEW International Title
– At All In 2024, Ospreay defeated MJF to regain the AEW International Title, having lost it around six weeks earlier
– At All Out 2024, Ospreay defeated PAC to retain the AEW International Title
– On the Dynamite 5th Anniversary Special, Ospreay fought Ricochet to a double-pinfall draw to retain the AEW International Title

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