On February 18th 2024, Will Ospreay bid farewell to the British indie scene after carrying it on his back during a difficult period of time.
Nearly 12 years after making his debut as an 18-year-old at the BritWres-Fest, Opsreay had his last ever match on the British independent scene.
The bout came at the end of an incredible run that saw the Aerial Assassin become a British Undisputed Heavyweight Champion, and put on some of the greatest matches to ever take place on British soil.
Will Ospreay vs Michael Oku was his last UK indie match before signing for AEW
Will Ospreay wrestled Undisputed British Heavyweight Champion Michael Oku at the Rev Pro High Stakes 2024 event, in London on the 18th February, 2024.
Billed as his final match before moving to the US, Ospreay vs Oku was a passing of the torch match for the Aerial Assassin.
After 47 minutes of fast-paced action that was dripping with story-telling that had been building over the past few years, Ospreay finally submitted to Oku’s single-leg Boston crab submission to retain his Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship and send the Aerial Assassin packing.
Ospreay took a short holiday to Barbados before gearing up for his debut as a full-time wrestler in AEW at Revolution 2024.
His first bout was against Konosuke Takeshita in a special singles bout that announced his arrival in the United States in style.
That match was lauded as an early match of the year contender, and is expected to be awarded at least five stars from the Wrestling Observer.
The match earned six stars from Dave Meltzer
Ospreay vs Oku is being touted as one of the best matches of all time, and the six-star rating puts it among some historic and legendary clashes.
Dave Meltzer awarded the match six stars, breaking the five-star scale for just the four time this year
This was just the 12th wrestling match in history to earn six stars or above from the Wrestling Observer.
This puts it among some of the greatest matches of all time, although the last four of those matches were all Ospreay matches!
