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Will Ospreay has been flying high in AEW – too high, in Swerve Strickland's opinion. The Aerial Assassin is set to challenge for the AEW World Championship at Forbidden Door this Sunday, and many fans are having trouble predicting the winner.
That's because it's almost inconceivable that Swerve Strickland could lose his title at this point. The 33-year-old has worked his way up from the bottom, and he hasn't let off the gas since claiming the gold. However, it's also inconceivable that Will Ospreay could lose this match, as the British phenom has been undefeated in singles matches since signing with All Elite Wrestling.
Ospreay is seen by many as the future of AEW, but that future must be pushed back a little further. There's a chance that The Aerial Assassin could become the biggest star in wrestling, but in order to do that, he must be defeated at Forbidden Door 2024. And not only defeated – he must be humbled.
Will Ospreay is flying too close to the sun
Will Ospreay burst onto the scene in AEW as a heel during his run with New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He was desperate to vanquish his arch-rival, Kenny Omega, and resorted to sneak attacks and dangerous maneuvers to get the job done. He even joined The Don Callis family, aligning himself with one of the most hated men in the company.
Despite that, he's quickly become a fan favorite in the Jacksonville-based promotion. His incredible athleticism, sunny disposition, and physical charisma have charmed the AEW faithful. In addition to his world-class in-ring ability, that has allowed him to carve a quick path to the main event scene.
However, Ospreay has come up too quickly, and he's bound to pay the price at some point. Like Icarus, the 31-year-old is flying too close to the sun. He's already snatched the AEW World Championship out of Swerve Strickland's hands twice, and the champion made him pay for his shenanigans on the most recent episode of Dynamite.
Will Ospreay is flying too high, too fast. He must be brought down to Earth so that the fans can sympathize with him, and Swerve must be the one to show him that the World Championship scene is not all fun and games. This will open up a path to the kind of glory only one other man in All Elite Wrestling has experienced.
The Hangman route is open to Ospreay
The first two years of AEW's programming featured the dramatic fall and redemption of 'Hangman' Adam Page, and many fans still regard it as the best story the Jacksonville-based promotion has ever produced.
Once this story reached its climax, Hangman Page had the chance to become a megastar in the wrestling industry. Unfortunately, the drama surrounding CM Punk, Jon Moxley's hiatus, and the disappearance of The Elite hampered his title run and subsequent booking.
A storyline like that only presents itself once in a blue moon, and it can't be forced. Luckily, Will Ospreay is in a prime position to undergo the same type of journey. If The Aerial Assassin is humbled by Swerve Strickland at Forbidden Door, he can begin to spiral down. Losing his International Championship to Daniel Garcia or MJF would help progress the storyline even further.
AEW should put Will Ospreay through the wringer throughout the second half of 2024, with a losing streak causing him to second-guess himself and his own abilities. Once he hits rock bottom, he can be built back up, and fans can join him on his journey of redemption.
This path must start in the main event of Forbidden Door and end on the biggest stage possible: Wembley Stadium.
Will Ospreay's coronation must happen at All In 2025
Having lost his chance at the AEW World Championship, Will Ospreay should then lose his International Championship. Whether that loss is to Daniel Garcia next week or MJF at All In 2024 makes little difference. Without an entry in the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, The Aerial Assassin will have nothing left.
After Ospreay hits rock bottom – preferably around the time of the Continental Classic tournament later this year – Tony Khan & Co. can begin building him back up with an emotional storyline throughout 2025. The culmination of his journey should take place in the main event of next year's All In pay-per-view at Wembley Stadium.
Ospreay getting his official coronation as AEW World Champion in front of tens of thousands of his countrymen in London would be a cathartic experience, especially if he'd been knocked down into the abyss and clawed his way back out throughout the past year.
Ultimately, the main event of Forbidden Door is almost impossible to predict, and Tony Khan could pull the trigger and give Ospreay the World Championship early. It's no secret that The Aerial Assassin is one of the best wrestlers in the world, so it's not like many would complain.
However, if AEW can hold off on crowning its resident Icarus and choose instead to clip his wings, there's a chance that Will Ospreay could become a true megastar and the de facto face of the company.
