Will Ospreay scored his first victory of the three total he’ll need to win the 2026 Owen Hart Foundation tournament to earn the shot to challenge for the AEW World Championship at AEW All In at Wembley Stadium in London. Ospreay, who is billed from Essex, England, spoke at the press conference following his victory over Samoa Joe at AEW Double or Nothing on Sunday. The former International Champion talked about how much main-eventing a match at Wembley would mean to him.
“When I was 14 years old, every kid in my school wanted to be a football player,” Ospreay said. “Everybody wanted to score the winning goal for England, win the World Cup. It’s ingrained in our culture and in our society, and Wembley Stadium hosts all the most important football games. It has such an iconic backstory to it. Legends have performed in that building.”
He explained that he used to work for his uncle’s ceiling company and would do jobs at Wembley and would watch fans go in to support their teams. Ospreay said he hasn’t stopped thinking about being in the main event match at the stadium, describing the first time he walked in to perform himself as “mind blowing.”
“The second time I really performed, I felt like I put my footprint in British wrestling, and I felt like I stepped into a new level that second time,” Ospreay explained. “This time, I can’t tell you how much it would mean to me to be in the main event and fighting for a championship that I hold so high. It’s what dreams are made out of… Nothing is going to stop me from getting that moment.”
Ospreay Confident in World Championship Abilities
“The Aerial Assassin” was also asked how confident he is about being world champion, if he gets that main event victory at All In. Ospreay asked his own questions, pondering what pay-per-view he’s been on that he hasn’t stolen, or what time he hasn’t stepped up to the mark whenever he’s been asked to. He believes he can carry all three letters in “AEW.”
“That middle letter, the ‘E,’ that’s the standard,” he said. “‘Elite.’ When everybody talks about an elite pro wrestler, there is no one better on this planet, mate. I believe that with my heart. I believe that with my soul. I know what I’m capable of. I know what I can do. This place, the motto, and it gets said over and over and over again, ‘this is where the best wrestle.’ No, mate, this is where the Billy GOAT wrestles and I am ready more than ever to take that top spot and take AEW to new heights.”
Ospreay goes on to face the winner of Mark Davis vs. “Jungle” Jack Perry. On the other side of the bracket of “The Owen,” Swerve Strickland also won at Double or Nothing in a victory over Bandido, and he will face the winner of Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brody King.
Whether it be against Davis or Perry, the date of Ospreay’s next match in the tournament has yet to be determined. If he advances to the final, he’ll compete at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door at the SAP Center in San Jose, California on June 28.
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