Will Ospreay gives injury update during surprise NJPW appearance
AEW star Will Ospreay gave an update on his injury status while making a surprise appearance at NJPW New Year Dash 2026.
The 32-year-old Ospreay has been sidelined since August 2025 due to a neck injury. He’s undergone surgery and is working toward a return. Though it will be a while before that can happen, Ospreay is starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel and is looking forward to returning to both AEW and NJPW when he can.
“I can’t come back right now. I still need to recover. It’s going to take me a long time, but I’m getting closer and closer. I’m getting better and better — and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel,” he said at New Year Dash. “When I’m good to go, I’m going to handle some business in AEW. I’m going to come back to New Japan Pro Wrestling.”
Ospreay was part of an angle with his former United Empire stablemates at the New Year Dash event. He offered to help support Callum Newman and help get United Empire on the right track. Newman didn’t seem to have much interest in Ospreay’s offer. He initially hugged Ospreay but then went to hit him with a chair before the rest of United Empire intervened.
Speaking backstage after the angle, Ospreay called AEW his home base but said he would like to occasionally wrestle for NJPW as well.
“That’s my main stage, where I fight every week,” Ospreay said about AEW. “But I want to come back. Whether it’s two shows a year, three, or five. I’m determined to make it happen.”
Along with this New Year Dash appearance, Ospreay was in Japan for Hiroshi Tanahashi’s retirement ceremony at Wrestle Kingdom 20.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.