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NEW YORK – Will Ospreay was able to live out his “dream match” on Sunday night at All Elite Wrestling’s (AEW) Double or Nothing pay-per-view in New York.
Ospreay defeated Samoa Joe in the first round of the Owen Hart Men’s Tournament. The winner of the tournament will win an AEW World Championship at All In – AEW’s premiere event this year – at Wembley Stadium in England.
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Will Ospreay defeated Samoa Joe in a wrestling match at AEW Double or Nothing in Queens, NY on May 24, 2026. (Lee South/AEW)
He started the match with an OsCutter that caught Joe. The two battled through the match, but it was Ospreay who hit Joe with multiple hidden blades for the win. The “Aerial Assassin” was asked about his ability to carry AEW on his shoulders and become the face of the company should he beat Owen and take the title later this year.
“It’s because I have the confidence and the belief that I can carry the three letters,” he said at the post-show scrum. “The middle letter, ‘E,’ that’s the standard, mate – elite. When everybody talks about elite pro wrestling, there’s nobody better on this planet. I believe it with my heart. I believe it with my soul.
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Samoa Joe and Will Ospreay compete in a wrestling match at AEW Double or Nothing in Queens, NY on May 24, 2026. (Lee South/AEW)
“I know what I’m capable of. I know what I can do. This place, the motto, and it’s been said over and over again, ‘this is where the best wrestle.’ No, mate. This is where the ‘Billy Goat’ fights. And I’m more ready than ever to take that top spot and take AEW to new heights.”
Ospreay said he dreamed of performing at Wembley Stadium as a professional wrestler while his schoolmates dreamed of becoming footballers.
He had fought back through a neck injury and trained with the Death Riders to become the weapon he once was. The whole situation annoyed Joe, culminating in a match at Double or Nothing.
Ospreay will face either Mark Davis or Jack Perry in the semi-finals. On the men’s side, Swerve Strickland defeated Bandido at Double or Nothing. He will face either Claudio Castagnoli or Brody King in the semi-finals.
Will Ospreay competes in the ring during AEW Dynamite at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pa., on October 2, 2024. (Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)
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The finals of the Owen Cup will be held at the Forbidden Door on June 28.
