Will Ospreay On The Pressure He Faced Before Wrestle Kingdom Loss To Kenny Omega

This weekend, the second annual AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door will take place, with one of the marquee matches pitting Kenny Omega against Will Ospreay for the second time this year. Speaking in a NJPW video to hype the upcoming bout, Ospreay looked back on the weight he carried on his shoulders heading into his Wrestle Kingdom match against Omega in January.

"People don't understand," Ospreay said. "There was so much pressure on me at the Tokyo Dome. I won't say what New Japan legend I walked past, but just before I went to go do the Tokyo Dome match against Kenny, he said, 'Remind them what New Japan is all about.' Because that pressure was put on me, that responsibility was put on me, and it was my job to fly the flag." The NJPW star then recalled the events of the match, which would see Ospreay fall short in claiming the IWGP United States Championship.

"I just knew once my head bounced off that turnbuckle from the DDT off the top rope, and I could feel the blood coming down my head, ... I was in danger," Ospreay continued. "But it was only after taking the Dragon Suplexes in the ring that I realized that I wasn't going to win this match. I knew I just didn't have my wits about me. I was fighting with everything I had, but I knew I was done." Ospreay stated that he felt as though he had let NJPW as a whole down in his responsibility to defeat Omega.

Ospreay may have fallen short of his goal in January, but he's spent the months since reflecting on his failure. The NJPW star seems to know what caused his downfall the last time around.

"I feel like I was trying to fly the flag for New Japan when really I should've just focused on kicking the guy's head in," Ospreay said. "I feel like I tried to be the old me, as well. It has its benefits, of course. ... I think that's the guy Kenny remembered, and that's kind of who I wanted him to see." Looking ahead to this weekend, however, Ospreay doesn't anticipate the match will end with the same result.

"I think this is where things have got to change, and I think I'm at my best when I'm a bit of a d***head anyway," Ospreay stated. "I think [I'll] stop appeasing people and just focus on getting the job done and living up to the name 'The Assassin.'"

Along with Ospreay-Omega, matches announced for Forbidden Door include Bryan Danielson vs. Kazuchika Okada, "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry facing SANADA for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, and Hiroshi Tanahashi challenging Maxwell Jacob Friedman for the AEW World Championship. Fans should expect additional matches to be announced in the coming days, especially with "AEW Dynamite" airing live this evening. Additionally, with Ospreay in North America as of last week's episode, it wouldn't be shocking to see the NJPW star make another appearance tonight.