Will Ospreay looks ahead to TNA Snake Eyes.
Following the expiration of his NJPW contract, Will Ospreay will become a full-time talent for AEW. Before he officially comes aboard to AEW, however, Ospreay will have an opportunity to wrestle inside a TNA Wrestling ring. Later this week, Ospreay will head to Las Vegas for TNA’s Snake Eyes event, where he will square off against former Impact World Champion Josh Alexander.
This will mark the second meeting between these two, but it will be the first to take place under the banner of TNA Wrestling. Ospreay spoke with WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard ahead of TNA Snake Eyes, expressing his gratitude for the opportunity to finally compete in a TNA ring — a feat he has long dreamt of reaching.
“It’s definitely something that I thought so much about and even though it was IMPACT when I first went, it was IMPACT when I returned, it still was, for me, in my eyes, TNA,” Ospreay said. “But I want the letters, I want the three letters attached to my name. So having the career that I have had and finally getting to perform in the place that made me want to be a wrestler, it’s gratifying.”
Ospreay says his last match in New Japan will be on February 11, and he will finish up with RevPro one week later. It looks like Ospreay will join AEW in time for the build to Revolution, which would leave some time for other appearances, including another one for TNA.
First and only
When asked if there was a possibility of seeing him back in TNA before his AEW deal is officially put into motion, Ospreay noted his belief that Snake Eyes seems likely to be his only appearance in TNA Wrestling.
“I believe this is probably going to be my last one,” Ospreay said. “Like if I was to gamble on it, because I never want to say never anymore, it just sometimes always pans out differently,” Ospreay explained. “But right now, I’m going to say this will be my last appearance for TNA — my first and my only appearance for TNA.”
Despite his TNA stint being short-lived, Ospreay reiterated that he remains grateful for the chance to perform on the brand that inspired him to become a professional wrestler.
“[My friends and I] weren’t watching TNA. We were just channel flicking and it just came up on our TV screens. We just couldn’t believe what we were watching. It’s game changer. All the game changers were a part of TNA wrestling,” Ospreay said. “It’s my turn now to be a part of that. I changed the game numbers of times, but I want to do it under those three letters.”
Becoming The ‘World Beater’
Looking ahead to his match against Josh Alexander, Ospreay noted that while Alexander may be the face of TNA Wrestling, he will be tasked with proving that he can also be what Ospreay describes as a “world beater.”
“Being the face of something is great, but what you want to be is the world beater,” Ospreay said. “Everybody in every company has a guy that they can say you can beat the world. WWE got Roman [Reigns]. With AEW, you had Kenny Omega. With New Japan, you can even say it’s me. TNA, we need the guy that we can say, ‘Alright, you’re our world beater. You’re the guy that we want to go against the best wrestlers in the world and know that you’re going to represent us.'”
“So going forward, I am the world beater. I’ve gone everywhere, and beaten every single person that they put in front of me. This is it, [Josh has] one shot. The entire landscape of TNA going forward lies on your shoulders. You have 60 minutes on the clock. You’ve got to put away the best wrestler in the world today. Can you do it? That’s the biggest question. That’s why people need to be excited because this is Josh’s one and only shot to say that ‘I can be the best wrestler in the world, and I can put TNA on my back with all the momentum it has and carry it further.'”
TNA Snake Eyes takes place on Sunday, January 14 in Las Vegas.
Watch our full interview with Will Ospreay below:
