One day after being stretchered out of London’s O2 Arena, Will Ospreay has broken his silence. In a tweet posted on August 25, the AEW star expressed his gratitude to fans following the events of Forbidden Door.
“I genuinely have no words. Thank you so much for every little bit of support. Love you guys so much @AEW.”
The tweet follows the brutal conclusion to Forbidden Door on August 24, where Ospreay was the target of a post-match assault by Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli. After his team won the 10-man “Lights Out” Steel Cage main event, the Death Riders locked Ospreay in the cage and stomped a steel chair wrapped around his neck.
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This angle was designed to write Ospreay off television, allowing him time to undergo surgery for a legitimate and significant neck injury. In the weeks leading up to the pay-per-view, it was revealed Ospreay has two herniated discs, C2 and C6, that are pressing against his spinal cord.
Ospreay had been wrestling with the condition for approximately ten months, but its severity was only fully understood after a recent MRI. Despite the diagnosis, his surgeon cleared him for one final performance before the procedure, a decision sources within AEW described as “touch and go.”
He was reportedly determined to compete in his hometown of London, even while admitting to feeling “anxious,” “scared,” and “generally… terrified” about what will be his first-ever surgery.
AEW integrated the real-life situation into its programming. On the August 20 episode of Dynamite, Ospreay announced he was not medically cleared, which served as the kayfabe reason for the main event at Forbidden Door being designated an “unsanctioned” bout.
Before the post-match assault, Ospreay’s team—comprising himself, Darby Allin, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and the Golden Lovers—was victorious. The chaotic steel cage match against the Death Riders, Gabe Kidd, and The Young Bucks concluded when Tanahashi pinned Matt Jackson with the High Fly Flow in what was his final match in the UK.
The attack not only provides a storyline reason for Ospreay’s necessary medical leave but also establishes a clear feud against Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli for his eventual return.
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