Will Ospreay On the Pressure Of Being IWGP Champion, Facing Okada This Month

Will Ospreay is the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, and he talked about the pressure that’s put on him in a new interview with NJPW. You can check out the full piece here as well as some highlights below:

On how being champion is affecting him: “It’s made me more … obsessed, maybe? I’ve wanted this for longer than I remember. Maybe some people might not agree that I should be in this position, but it’s the culmination of the journey I’ve taken. Ibushi’s right, it is heavy. Now I’m looked upon as a history maker in the new age. I’m the first British holder of an IWGP Heavyweight Championship, and the first non-Japanese to ever hold the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. So I’m responsible for setting a standard and ushering in this new era. I’m ready for that responsibility.”

On if he feels pressure to prevent his title reign from being short-lived: “Kind of, yes. But I’m not willing to accept defeat. It sounds like a cliché at this point, but I’ve said it again and again. I am on another level. I am fully comfortable in my in-ring style. I’m dying to show people how ready I am to take on the world as the champion.”

On his match with Okada at Wrestle Grand Slam: “ The history with Okada is against me. I only beat him once, and that was the one and only time I needed help to win a match. If, when I beat Shingo, Tokyo Dome is May 29. It’ll be my third big singles match in under two months, and Okada has had a lot of rest … There are little rumors on the grapevine that he’s carrying a lot of injuries. I’m probably 70% now, let alone the damage I’ll take against Shingo. But I want that. I want him at 100%, and I want to make it clear that I can beat him at 100%. I need to do that.”