Various: Will Ospreay NJPW Contract Update, Ricky Steamboat on Ric Flair Last Match, SI’s 2022 Top 10 Wrestlers

AEW

Dec 29, 2022

Will Ospreay Comments on NJPW Contract Status & Potential of Joining AEW in the Future

Fightful Select held a recent interview with Will Ospreay that is currently scheduled to be released in full this Friday.

One of the topics discussed included Ospreay revealing that his current contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling is set to expire “in a little over a year, in early 2024.” Ospreay also stated that NJPW has paid him very well and his heart is still with the company. Ospreay also stated that “working with NJPW has been the right decision for him.”

On the topic of a potential future career in AEW, Opsreay stated that while “money talks” and he was treated very well during his recent time in AEW, he is currently not interested in the idea of moving to the United States for full-time work due to anxiety-related issues. Ospreay stated that he feels more comfortable living in the United Kingdom.

Ricky Steamboat Comments on Reason He Opted Out of Ric Flair’s Last Match

A recent episode of Sportskeeda’s Wrestle Binge podcast had WWE Hall of Famer Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Steamboat’s reason why he decided to back out of the talks to work in Ric Flair’s last match.

“Initially, when Conrad (Thompson), who is the promoter, when we talked, I drove to Nashville and we had a sitdown. I was still training pretty good and feeling pretty good, and I said ‘okay.’ We hadn’t signed or sealed the deal on the money part of it, but what put the nail in the coffin is, about a week after that, I found out that Flair was wearing a pacemaker. All these years and I never knew. I immediately said, ‘I don’t think I want to do this.’ I don’t want my legacy to be that I was in the ring if he happened to pass away or something went wrong. I didn’t want that. I’ve done some interviews after that, when they found out I said ‘no,’ but this the first time I’m coming public with this. I didn’t want to throw Conrad or Flair under the bus, so I threw me under the bus. It’s like one of those old-time boxers, they get in the ring and after about the third round, when his legs are gone, everyone is sitting there saying, ‘he should have stayed retired.’ I used me as the reason.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com