AEW's Will Ospreay Reportedly Had Substantial Offer From Another Promotion
Earlier this month at AEW Full Gear, it was announced that New Japan Pro-Wrestling star Will Ospreay was signing a full-time contract with AEW. It shouldn't have come as too much of a surprise, as Ospreay had made it clear he was looking to sign with another company and he has a history with AEW due to their NJPW relationship. The 32-year-old did express interest in both WWE and Impact Wrestling, and WWE was said to have been interested in Ospreay in return. On top of that, a new report from PWInsider indicates that Impact made a significant offer.
Though he wound up choosing AEW, Impact's offer was reportedly strong enough to keep them in the conversation for Ospreay. One source was indicated as saying it was likely the largest offer made to a wrestler since Anthem took over the company in late 2016. Ospreay was said to have been offered a seven-figure deal but opted to go elsewhere.
While he signed his AEW contract live on pay-per-view, Ospreay hasn't finished up with NJPW as of yet. He'll continue wrestling for the company for several months in 2024 before making his way to AEW full-time. Additionally, Ospreay has revealed that he'll be able to continue working NJPW dates while under contract with AEW, which he said played a large part in his decision.
In addition to an appearance on a U.K. show back in 2016, Ospreay wrestled for Impact in a brief run this past October. At Impact Wrestling's Bound for Glory PPV, Ospreay defeated "Speedball" Mike Bailey, and then went on to face Josh Alexander Eddie Edwards over the next few days. Ospreay spoke highly of his time with Impact, possibly lending further credence to the idea that he considered signing there.