The AEW All In mega-show at London’s Wembley Stadium also features British wrestler extraordinaire Will Ospreay. He lured legend Chris Jericho into a trap at Dynamite.
The countdown is on for one of the biggest wrestling shows in history – and a week and a half before All In at London’s Wembley Stadium, AEW has unveiled a new trump card.
At the latest edition of the TV show Dynamite, rumours came true that a popular and highly regarded local hero will make his biggest appearance yet in front of over 80,000 fans: Will Ospreay!
The exceptional wrestler proved to be a pawn in the game of arch-villain Don Callis at Dynamite, who lured legend and fellow wrestler Chris Jericho into a trap in recent weeks. Ospreay will now face the former WWE and AEW World Champion at All In – one of several star-studded matches announced on the special “Fight for the Fallen” episode.
Will Ospreay mixes it up big at AEW All In
Ospreay, 30, has made his mark as one of the best wrestlers in the world in recent years with AEW’s Japanese affiliate league NJPW: Once one of the most spectacular highflyers in the business, Ospreay has developed into an all-rounder who is in a league of his own in the ring.
Ospreay is now considered by many to be the best wrestler in the world and number one on the list of wrestlers with the most extraordinary matches, rated five stars or higher by scene guru Dave Meltzer (26). He recently trumped the late icon Mitsuharu Misawa (25), is also ahead of Kenny Omega, Kazuchika Okada (24) and Kenta Kbashi (23) – and far ahead of other legends and exceptional wrestlers such as Ric Flair (12), Bryan Danielson and Ricky Steamboat (5 each) or Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels (2 each).
In recent years, Ospreay has also been increasingly active in AEW, most recently shining with the “Dream Match” against Callis sophomore Kenny Omega at Forbidden Door. As was once the case with Omega, Ospreay is now expected to look to veteran star Jericho (52) to be the one to make the Phenom even more famous on the biggest possible stage.
Ospreay meets Chris Jericho
Jericho has been in the midst of a storyline in recent weeks, with fellow Canadian and old friend Don Callis courting his services – which is why Jericho’s previous fellow members of the Jericho Appreciation Society have cut ties with him.
At Dynamite, Jericho now announced his long-delayed decision: He decided to join the “Callis Family”, which surprised Callis himself. It was revealed that he was expecting a no and had lured Jericho into a trap – he betrayed himself by unveiling a painting that showed him – Haye and Klitschko send their regards – with Jericho’s head ripped off.
The fact that Jericho did say yes didn’t stop Callis from springing the trap: his protégé Konosuke Takeshita and the now apparently permanently attached Ospreay attacked Jericho and beat him bloody. Sammy Guevara, Jericho’s last remaining friend, came to the rescue. The match for All In was then fixed.
Ospreay vs. Jericho is the only singles match on the Wembley card so far (CM Punk vs. Samoa Joe is likely to be added), along with the World Title match MJF vs. Adam Cole, underlining the importance of Ospreay’s role for All In.
Two more new matches for London
Two more new matches for All In have been revealed at Dynamite: Kenny Omega teams up with his companions Hangman Page and Kota Ibushi at Wembley against a team led by rival Takeshita, who will be joined by “Switchblade” Jay White, also profiled in Japan, and Juice Robinson of Bullet Club Gold.
Takeshita, White and Robinson attacked Omega when he tried to reveal his plans for All In in an interview with commentary legend Kenny Omega and put him in hospital. Page then declared in a segment before the ambulance that the Golden Elite would have their revenge.
Another big match was revealed with the return of Eddie Kingston – as Ospreay has been part of NJPW’s prestigious G1 tournament otherwise occupied in recent weeks. Kingston took sides against his old mate Jon Moxley (formerly Dean Ambrose) of Blackpool Combat Club on his return.
Along with the Lucha Bros, he helped cult star Orange Cassidy and the Best Friends when they went after him and his friends following a title defence by International Champion Cassidy against Wheeler Yuta of the BCC.
Kingston’s team then challenged Moxley, Yuta and his eternal nemesis Claudio Castagnoli to a no-rules, no-location “Stadium Stampede Match” at Wembley. It’s still unclear which three wrestlers will be siding with the Blackpool Combat Club – it’s possible the scheduling of a chaotic multi-man match will also open the door for Bryan Danielson: the fourth member of the BCC is currently recovering from a broken arm.
MJF and Adam Cole with clear announcements
Completing the four-way battle for the women’s title at Dynamite was Championess Hikaru Shida, Toni Storm, and local hero Saraya (formerly Paige), joined as expected by top female star Britt Baker with a win over The Bunny.
The stage was further set for the main match of the show – MJF vs. Adam Cole – with a joint appearance that raised the tension: Cole warned MJF that despite his newfound friendship with the young World Champ, he would use “any means necessary” against him. And MJF also made it clear that, in case of doubt, his belt was more important to him than anything else.
The show ended with Team Aussie Open attacking – MJF and Cole challenge them for the AEW sister league ROH tag team titles on All In’s preshow.
