Will Ospreay Recalls AEW Revolution Match With Takeshita, Taking Painful Corner Bump

Since officially joining the AEW roster in March, Will Ospreay has been on a tear, rising his way to the top of the company with wins over performers such as Bryan Danielson and Konosuke Takeshita. The match between Ospreay and Takeshita took place at AEW Revolution, and making a recent appearance on "AEW Unrestricted," Ospreay looked back on what made the bout special.

"The guy that I'm opposite [from] — dude, it's Takeshita," Ospreay said. "I've been of a fan of his for ages. First time I saw him was 2019 over in DDT. I straightaway knew it — I was like, 'This guy is incredible.' He's one of the best wrestlers I've ever seen."

Though Ospreay had previously wrestled in AEW as part of the company's partnership with New Japan Pro-Wrestling, the match against Takeshita was Ospreay's first as a full member of the AEW roster. Following his victory that night, Ospreay has remained associated with The Don Callis Family, including Takeshita, though there is a sense that Callis doesn't necessarily have Ospreay's best interests in mind onscreen. For now, he and Takeshita remain aligned.

"I just never thought we'd ever wrestle one another," Ospreay continued. "It was only when AEW ... got him and we started working together within the Callis Family. I was like, 'This is great, but the only way we're gonna get better is if we test each other — if we wrestle one another.' And obviously that idea was thrown around for my debut. I just couldn't think of a better way to debut."

Ospreay recalled being told that he and Takeshita would have 25 minutes, and the two stablemates had decided to give it their all but shake hands when all was said and done. However, the AEW star also remembered things getting exceedingly physical in the ring between the two. One moment caused Ospreay exceptional pain, with Takeshita dropping his opponent onto the turnbuckle backside-first.

"F**k me, my ass [hurt] after that match, mate," Ospreay said. "I will say it 'til the cows come home — that was the most painful thing that has happened to me in a match ever. But not enough to stop the match, but my ass was hurting so much. It was flipping blue afterward."

Despite being forced to deal with the pain and the aftermath of such an intense match, Ospreay felt that he and Takeshita delivered for fans, making it all worth it. On top of that, hearing a compliment from Ric Flair after Revolution helped reassure Ospreay even further that he and Takeshita had accomplished something great at Revolution.

Ospreay will now look to continue his recent winning streak as he prepares to face Roderick Strong for the AEW International Championship next month. The match between the two will take place at AEW Double or Nothing on May 26, 2024, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "AEW Unrestricted" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.