Global InformationWill Ospreay information
| Will Ospreay | |
|---|---|
 Ospreay in 2024 | |
| Birth name | William Peter Charles Ospreay |
| Born | 7 May 1993 London, England |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Jason Artem Dark Britannico Neo Britannico Will Ospreay |
| Billed height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1] |
| Billed weight | 105 kg (231 lb)[1] |
| Billed from | Essex, England[2] |
| Trained by | Lucha Britannia |
| Debut | 1 April 2012 |
William Peter Charles Ospreay (born 7 May 1993) is an English professional wrestler. As of November 2023[update], he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the current AEW International Champion in his first reign. He is also known for his eight year tenure with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he held various championships, including the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. He is the leader of the United Empire and a member of the Don Callis Family stable. Ospreay is regarded by fans, peers, and industry journalists as one of the best in-ring performers of all-time.[3]
Ospreay previously wrestled for NJPW's United Kingdom-based partner promotion Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro), where he is a former and longest reigning Undisputed British Heavyweight Champion. He also wrestled for British promotion Progress Wrestling, where he is a former Progress World Champion.
Ospreay began his career in the United Kingdom in 2011 on the UK independent circuit. In 2016, after being recommended by AJ Styles, he began to work with the Japanese promotion NJPW as part of the junior heavyweight division, becoming a three-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and the winner of the 2016 and 2019 Best of the Super Juniors. In 2019, Ospreay also won the NEVER Openweight Championship. That same year, Ospreay participated in the G1 Climax, NJPW's biggest tournament featuring heavyweight wrestlers. In 2020, he made his transition to the heavyweight division, where he won the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. He was also the winner of 2021 New Japan Cup. Ospreay is a former two-time and the final IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion, as the title was deactivated in December 2023 when Ospreay was in his second reign.
Before signing with AEW, Ospreay had also periodically ventured into the American wrestling circuit; he made appearances in NJPW partner promotions Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA, formerly known as Impact Wrestling) and Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is a former ROH World Television Champion, as well as independent promotions like Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG). After making appearances in AEW in 2022 and 2023, he signed with the company and officially joined its roster after his NJPW contract expired in February 2024.
Ospreay holds the record for the most 5 or more stars matches given by wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer with a total of 38 matches.
- ^ a b "ウィル・オスプレイ" [Will Ospreay]. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved 10 April 2017.
- ^ "Facebook". Will Ospreay Facebook Page.
- ^ "Will Ospreay Earns 8th Five-Star Match Rating in 2023". Inside the Ropes. 10 November 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2024.