4 months ago
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NJPW
AEW International Champion Will Ospreay paid tribute to Japanese wrestling legend Hayabusa at the recent Forbidden Door pay-per-view by wearing a famous mask from the pioneering high-flyer'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 feel so special.
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EXCLUSIVE: Ahead of challenging for the #AEW World Championship at #ForbiddenDoor, #AEW International Champion @WillOspreay talks about the inspiration for his special gear. pic.twitter.com/2sFAc8HWWU
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) July 2, 2024
"Back in 2022, I took out the daughter of Hayabusa and I asked for her blessing to adorn a very famous Hayabusa mask, because I don't know ... what their like relationship was ... I don't know if like she was a bit sad about the wrestling community maybe? I just wanted to make sure that I got the blessing for it. I took her out and she gave me the blessing, the family have all wrote in, they said that they're so happy for me to adorn the mask. So I did it in Japan, it's only right to do it at Forbidden Door with the crossover event. This is about celebrating wrestling culture right? Well this is the culture that got me into professional wrestling, so I can't be happier. I hope I do them proud."
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Ospreay had originally worn the Hayabusa-inspired gear at the NJPW "Historic X-Over" event with STARDOM in 2022, given the importance of that show 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 in the process. After showing signs of improvement in the years after the accident, Hayabusa would eventually pass away in 2016 from a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 47.
