Will Ospreay Looks Back at His ‘Very Intense’ 2022, Wants NJPW To Be the #1 Company In Wrestling

Will Ospreay recently reflected on his 2022, and named putting NJPW back on top as a goal for the coming year. Ospreay spoke with Tokyo Sports for a new interview and talked about his loss to Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 17, his goals for 2023 and more. A few excerpts are below:

On the past year: “It’s been a very intense year. I think it was fulfilling because there were some hard times. Although [I] was still isolated due to the influence of the coronavirus and had difficulty moving around, [I] won the IWGP US Heavyweight Championship. I had a goal of getting more attention for New Japan, and I’m happy to have achieved that.”

On winning his first Tokyo Sports award for Best Match: “I watch the announcements every year, and I wanted to attend the awards ceremony, so it’s a pity that I can’t do that yet. I thought that the match with Takagi [Shingo] in 2019 would be selected as the best bout, but unfortunately I didn’t get it. But this time, I think it’s very meaningful that we were able to win the Best Bout award without any support.”

On his goals for 2023: “Japan has finally gotten out of the corona wreck and is starting to cheer at the venue. I want New Japan Pro-Wrestling to return to being the number one organization in the world. I was able to win the best bout, but it was very frustrating that the final match of G1 Climax was not sold out. I want to fill all the venues this year. And of course Tokyo Dome.”

On his IWGP US Championship loss to Kenny Omega: “Over the past two years, I lost the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship to an injury, and last year I almost died from a kidney disease. And finally, I got to the match that the world was paying attention to at the Tokyo Dome, but I was completely defeated. It was a very frustrating defeat. So I had to set myself some tough goals. “Do or die.” During this year, not only will I return to the top, but I will also return New Japan to the top of the world. I think that I can do it in the sense that I will go through this year with that thought.”