Hiroshi Tanahashi Officially Replaces Will Ospreay On Impact/NJPW Multiverse United

Things have officially hit a snag for the NJPW/Impact Wrestling joint show Multiverse United coming WrestleMania weekend. And it's all due to the health of Will Ospreay, who was set to wrestle "Speedball" Mike Bailey at the event before suffering a shoulder injury against United Empire teammate Mark Davis in the second round of the New Japan Cup. Fortunately, NJPW has someone more than up to the task of replacing him. The promotion has confirmed reports going around yesterday that Ospreay will be unable to compete at Multiverse United. Instead, NJPW will send longtime top star Hiroshi Tanahashi, who will now battle Bailey in Ospreay's place.

The announcement will come as little shock to anyone paying attention, as Tanahashi himself volunteered yesterday to replace Ospreay at Multiverse United, with the only question being when NJPW would make the switch official. While Ospreay and Bailey had wrestled each other on a few occasions in the past, the new match between Tanahashi and Bailey will be the first ever singles contest between the two competitors.

All eyes will now turn back towards Ospreay and his health, as the former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion was expected to figure heavily into plans for another joint production show, AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door, this summer, possibly in a rematch with Kenny Omega. As of this writing however, no concrete information has emerged regarding how severe Ospreay's injury is, whether he will require surgery, and how much time he will miss beyond New Japan's upcoming Sakura Genesis tour.