A popular champion irked AEW star Will Ospreay by giving him a new name during a show outside of the Jacksonville-based promotion.
On May 3, AEW star Will Ospreay achieved major title success at NJPW Wrestling Dontaku Night 1, winning the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship alongside his United Empire teammates HENARE and Great-O-Khan. This marked the first time the Aerial Assassin had won gold in New Japan in over 1000 days. Meanwhile, his other United Empire stablemate and former protege, i.e., Callum Newman, defended the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Shingo Takagi in the main event of Night 2 earlier tonight. Newman ended up winning his first title defense after some shenanigans.
Following the bout, Newman wanted to continue assaulting Takagi, much to the chagrin of Ospreay, who was also present. However, the reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion commanded a hesitant Ospreay to take the Japanese star out instead and triggered him by calling him “Death Riders billy.” The Aerial Assassin then took out Shingo Takagi with a Hidden Blade.
Callum Newman shares honest thoughts about AEW star Will Ospreay
In an earlier interview with NJPW, Callum Newman discussed his beginnings in New Japan and how being Will Ospreay’s protege was both a boon and a bane in his career. He said that earlier he was seen only as the former AEW International champions’ lackey, but he’s now come into his own.
“When I started in New Japan… I was carrying Will Ospreay’s bags and doing United Empire’s laundry. Now I can be who I am and wrestle how I want…Will has always supported me since I first met him at 15. But he left me in a country I didn’t know and told me to just do my best. So it feels he did things a little half arsed, like he didn’t mean it completely. He only really came back and started supporting United Empire again when I took over and started doing things my way. When we started to build momentum and became one of the top groups again, that’s when he decided to come back. It feels a little too convenient,” said Newman [H/T Drainmaker on X]
It seems the tensions between Newman and Ospreay will soon pit them against each other in NJPW.
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Edited by Karan Raj
