AEW Star Will Ospreay Explains Motivation Behind Working With The Death Riders

At AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2025, the Death Riders brutally attacked Will Ospreay at the end of the show, causing him to miss six months of action as he badly injured neck needed treating. Fast forward to the 2026 Forbidden Door event, and the Death Riders were cheering a fully recovered Ospreay on as he defeated Swerve Strickland to win the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament.

Ospreay joining forces with the Death Riders since April 2026 has been something that has not only intrigued AEW fans around the world, but has confused them just as much. However, when he was asked about why he accepted Jon Moxley's help during a recent interview on "107.7 The Bone," Ospreay explained that it was simply a case of the Death Riders offering him a chance when no one else would.

"Who came to save me? Like Swerve weren't there, none of my mates backstage were there, none of the United Empire were there. They came to help, I had an opportunity to take back what was mine, like I had Jon Moxley on the ground, I could have put that chair around his neck and I could have done the same thing that he did to me. Or I can accept that I need help, and they're offering to turn me into something more than just a pro wrestling, to turn me into a weapon."

Ospreay went on to explain that in the past, he hesitated when it came to delivering the vital blow, or in the case of Ospreay, the Tiger Driver '91. However, that hesitation no longer exists thanks to the Moxley and the Death Riders, and while he hasn't forgiven Moxley for injuring him in 2025, he compares his situation to Batman learning the League of Shadows from Ra's al Ghul.

Please credit "107.7 The Bone" when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.