Why Bryan Danielson Begged Will Ospreay Before Major AEW Match
Bryan Danielson made a special request to Will Ospreay before his match at Forbidden Door.
Ospreay fought a brutal Lights Out Steel Cage match with Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Darby Allin against The Death Riders, Gabe Kidd, and The Young Bucks at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2025.
Before the crossover event, Ospreay had suffered a serious neck injury. He had two herniated discs in his back pressing against his spinal cord, a condition that had plagued him for months. His match at Forbidden Door was intended to be his final appearance before surgery and a long recovery.
Danielson has had his fair share of neck injuries that have significantly influenced his wrestling career. One of the primary reasons for his full-time wrestling retirement is his severe neck issues. Therefore, he knows how important it is to be careful inside the ring and avoid potential threats to oneself.
Given Ospreay’s condition heading into the Forbidden Door event, The American Dragon had requested The Aerial Assassin to make smart decisions inside the ring and not put his body through anything risky. But Ospreay performed one of the riskiest moves in wrestling history, a cage dive.
Bryan Danielson Had Asked Will Ospreay to avoid risky spots at Forbidden Door
Bryan Danielson recently revealed in a Kairouz Bros interview that he gave Ospreay a personal warning before the bout. He pulled Ospreay aside to urge him not to push himself too hard and to avoid risky maneuvers. He advised Ospreay didn’t need to perform every exciting, high-risk move in the match; instead, he should choose carefully the spots that wouldn’t put excessive strain on his body.
“Will, I’m begging you, please don’t do anything stupid…He doesn’t need to do all of the amazing things. He can pick the amazing things that don’t hurt his neck. The big thing is to prevent it before it starts getting bad. Realize which moves are doing the most harm and scale those back.”
AEW officially announced Ospreay would be out indefinitely. He’s scheduled to go under the knife in a couple of weeks. Fellow wrestlers who have recovered from similar neck injuries, including Adam Copeland and Bryan Danielson, have offered him support. Ospreay remains hopeful for a recovery but faces a difficult, extended hiatus from wrestling.
H/T to Ringside News