Credit: All Elite Wrestling
Will Ospreay is already one of the best wrestlers of his generation and, arguably, the standard-bearer in AEW this year. It is fitting that he reiterated as much with a perfect performance across two Continental Classic Tournament matches.
The Aerial Ospreay bled significantly as he battled Kyle Fletcher, seeking revenge for a loss at Full Gear and the opportunity to advance to the finals. He did, absorbing everything his former protege threw at him and countering what he could, ultimately delivering a Styles Clash to end that chapter of the rivalry.
His face was painted with the crimson mask and there were questions about what he would possibly have left to offer in the finale against Kazuchika Okada.
He answered any doubts with a gutsy performance that saw him trade counters, reversals, and finishers with Okada before succumbing to the Rainmaker as the former New Japan star earned the victory.
From the rivalry with Fletcher playing out to perfection in the semifinals to being faced with the opposition of one of the greatest tournament wrestlers ever in the finals, both of Ospreay’s matches had meaning beyond the Continental Classic itself.
More of that creative, where stories are weaved into the matches themselves instead of booking them for the sake of good wrestling, would do the company as a whole a great service.
Look no further than the extraordinary reaction for Ospreay across both matches and how much the fans genuinely cared about him and his pursuit of the tournament victory.