AEW Star Will Ospreay Ponders Who NJPW Will Push Next

As the story goes, Kenny Omega left NJPW in 2019 with now fellow AEW stars Jay White and Will Ospreay succeeding him as the promotion's top international talent. For a time, they carried the mantle in the main event scene, both capturing the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship amidst other accolades, as was chronicled by Ospreay while speaking to another prominent NJPW-turned-AEW performer, Chris Jericho, on "Talk Is Jericho." Jericho recalled the lineage: Finn Balor (Prince Devitt), AJ Styles, and then Kenny Omega. Ospreay continued, "Then me and Jay took the spot. I guess I just run with it." Ospreay pondered who would succeed him in the role now that he has left, naming Zack Sabre Jr. as a front-runner. 

"I guess they're gonna go with Zack now," he said, "I think that's the right decision. The guy's nearly fluent in Japanese as well. That's like the best thing about it." Jericho then named former IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion David Finlay as another would-be heir, to which Ospreay held zero objection: "Finlay's getting a push and deservedly so. He's worked extremely hard." Ospreay would continue to earmark the Bullet Club War Dogs — Alex Coughlin, Gabe Kidd, Drilla Moloney, and Clark Connors — amongst Lion graduates Yota Tsuji and Shota Umino, as well as the recently debuted Jack Perry, loaned to NJPW from AEW. 

"I'm hoping people don't give up on the product. I still want people to be invested in New Japan and still enjoy the shows. I believe guys like Jack Perry are going over there so AEW is still supporting them, that's all you want in a relationship. You just want to be able to know that even though these guys are coming over [to AEW], not only can we come back and do pot shows for New Japan, but we'll give you some of our guys just to make sure that the relationship's all good."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Talk Is Jericho" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.