Will Ospreay To Defend AEW World Title Against Kazuchika Okada At Grand Slam France

Who's next for AEW World Champion Will Ospreay after his successful title defense at AEW All Out 2026? "The Aerial Assassin" wasted little time to reveal the answer.

At the AEW All Out post-show media scrum, Ospreay laid out a challenge for Kazuchika Okada to face him at Grand Slam France.

"Now that AEW is growing and we are hitting different international markets, I think it is very important to show our global audience what a world champion is all about," he said. "I'm going to set a challenge to Grand Slam Paris ... Okada, there have been so many years where I've looked at you as an older brother and you have been an incredible mentor to me. When I done my entrance at All In, the one person I really wanted to see back there was you and I didn't get to see you there. I've leveled up and I am one of the best professional wrestlers in the world right now. I want you to challenge me for my world championship on October the 6 in Paris."

Okada, accompanied by Don Callis, instantly accepted the title match with a little French flair, saying "Bonjour b****es." AEW CEO Tony Khan then made it official for Grand Slam France, which will emanate from the Adidas Arena in Paris on Tuesday, October 6.

With Grand Slam going overseas, Khan felt it was fitting for Okada, the reigning AEW International Champion, to vie for the AEW World Championship there. Moreover, the history between Ospreay and Okada remains extensive, with "The Rainmaker" boasting an impressive win record in their in-ring rivalries. Their latest faceoff resulted in Okada defeating Ospreay in the finals of the 2024 Continental Classic.

"That's the one thing I want to try and look back at all the people that did defeat me on my rise to being world champion because there is a list of people," Ospreay said. "A lot of them actually are holding championships in AEW right now. We could talk about Okada. We could talk about Darby Allin even. There are a lot of people that can say that they have a victory over Will Ospreay. I plan on rectifying every single one of those losses and creating a hierarchy when it comes to singles championships. Every single championship on this roster is very important. I cannot underestimate every single championship means that you are worth something, that you are an asset to this promotion. But at the top of this league is the world championship. Every single person should be grasping for this championship."

At All Out, Ospreay defended the AEW World Championship against Jon Moxley, a previous four-time titleholder and a recent mentor to the England native. Moxley emerged resilient in his pursuit, even surviving a Hidden Blade and a Storm Breaker. A second Hidden Blade, however, kept him down for the three count, and in turn, allowed Ospreay to retain the major AEW gold.

Elsewhere in the show, Okada put the AEW International Title on the line against Tommaso Ciampa, who rocked the champion with a running knee strike for a near fall. Okada bounced back with a powerslam and a Rainmaker shortly after to secure the win for himself.

Okada and Ospreay's history extends back to New Japan Pro-Wrestling and RevPro, with the latter promotion hosting Okada's first victory over the current AEW World Champion in 2015. In the years following, the squared off several more times in tag team and singles competition. 

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