AEW's Will Ospreay Talks Hayabusa-Inspired Gear for Forbidden Door

NJPW

AEW International Champion Will Ospreay paid tribute to Japanese wrestling legend Hayabusa at the recent Forbidden Door pay-per-view by donning a famous mask from the wrestling pioneer’s career. The entrance meant a lot to the “Aerial Assassin,” as AEW cameras caught up with him beforehand to find out what made his entrance gear so special.

EXCLUSIVE: Before embarking on a challenge for the #AEW World Championship at #ForbiddenDoor, #AEW International champion @WillOspreay talks about the inspiration for his special equipment. pic.twitter.com/2sFAc8HWWU

— Elite Wrestling (@AEW) July 2, 2024

“In 2022, I took Hayabusa’s daughter and asked for her blessing to adorn a very famous Hayabusa mask, because I don’t know… what was their relationship… I don’t know if she was a little sad about the wrestling community maybe? I just wanted to make sure I had the blessing for it. I took her and she gave me her blessing, the whole family wrote, they said they were so happy that I adorned the mask. So I did it in Japan, it’s only fitting to do it at Forbidden Door with the crossover event. It’s about celebrating the wrestling culture, right? Well, it’s the culture that got me into professional wrestling, so I couldn’t be happier. I hope to make them proud.”

Ospreay originally wore the Hayabusa-inspired gear at NJPW’s “Historic X-Over” event with STARDOM in 2022, given the show’s prominence in Japanese wrestling. Hayabusa was best known for being the ace of FMW in the 1990s, after founder Atsushi Onita came and went from the promotion several times. During a match in 2001, Hayabusa broke two vertebrae in his neck that left him paralyzed from the neck down, ending his wrestling career. After showing signs of improvement in the years following the accident, Hayabusa ultimately died in 2016 from a brain hemorrhage at the age of 47.