England’s Wembley Stadium is not only a very popular sports and entertainment venue. It is one of Britain’s great cultural landmarks, where generations of dreams have come true.
From England lifting their only World Cup to Arsenal extending their record 14 FA Cup wins and Oasis launching their long-awaited reunion tour, Wembley has long served as a stage where history is made. For AEW’s Will Ospreay, the chase for greatness has always led back there.
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Wrestling at Wembley was once considered too big a dream to have. Joining a fight, let alone signing, sometimes felt like a no-brainer. British representation on television was limited to the likes of the British Bulldog and William Regal.
Instead, Ospreay has spent his career kicking down doors that once felt impossible to open. Now, one win separates him from competing for the richest AEW prize in the biggest sports division England has to offer.
The AEW World Championship is a prize, but the main event at Wembley is a dream.
“This is like the semifinals of my World Cup,” Ospreay told Uncrown ahead of Sunday’s AEW Forbidden Door pay-per-view.
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“I understand this is Owen’s final game [Hart] Cup, but having this as something that will put me in an important position as a major event [AEW All In at] Wembley Stadium, fighting for the title, it’s something I hold so proudly that I want to be able to do my best physically.”
Defeating Swerve Strickland on Sunday night at AEW Forbidden Door from the SAP Center in San Jose would earn Ospreay the shot at the AEW world championship he’s spent the better part of a year chasing.
The venue is familiar territory for Ospreay, who was unsuccessful in last year’s Owen Hart Cup Tournament final against “Hangman” Adam Page. This time, he’s hungry, motivated, and has gone through a lot to get closer to glory without ever reaching the top of the mountain.
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Neck surgery sidelined Ospreay for nearly six months last year, forcing him to watch former champion Kyle Fletcher win his first title, while former rival Kenny Omega regained the top spot.
When he returned, there was no speeding up the plan to return to the top. He just wanted to feel the rush of energy that came with lighting up the square circle.
“I want to feel the air coming out of the audience, I want to feel the stadium change temperature,” said Ospreay.
“I don’t put too much pressure on it. I just flow freely, and let whatever feels natural come to me.”
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Through it all, the place never changed. AEW’s biggest show of the year at Wembley Stadium remains the focus.
England’s historic Wembley Stadium is the venue for this year’s AEW All In show.
(Carlo Paloni via Getty Images)
Upon his return to the ring, Ospreay was expected to return to the main event scene, marching unopposed into Wembley. Instead, he entered the program with the Death Riders after an unexpected loss at the hands of Jon Moxley, halting his progress towards AEW’s top prize.
Instead of continuing to fight the Death Riders, Ospreay ended up aligning with the team, allowing for a slower, more deliberate rise. Ospreay didn’t get back into the picture early, and the alliance shaped his presentation, giving his return a big purpose.
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“I enjoyed being in that locker room with those guys because I feel like I’ve leveled up my game. I got to make a little bond with that team to know that we’re fighting for something more, and we’re always doing things that are good for the wrestling fans,” Ospreay said.
“I have nothing but respect for Jon and it took me a while to get to that position. But it’s good to understand his way of working and his thoughts about what pro-wrestling is. In the interaction we had before this, it was like I couldn’t see what he was saying because he’s a little riddler. Being on his side now, I’m starting to understand more.”
Ospreay’s rise back to the top has forced him to confront chapters from his past. First came Samoa Joe and The Opps. Then former partner-turned-foe Mark Davis. Now comes perhaps the most emotionally complex foe of all: Strickland.
The former AEW World Champion spent the last year battling men like Ospreay and Page to take AEW back from the Death Riders and Young Bucks. Now, Ospreay has stood shoulder to shoulder with the team and at one point tried to eliminate them.
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Despite all that, Ospreay says his relationship with Strickland is “very real.” The two have taken care of each other for almost ten years, and there is a real bond between them. There is also a level of competitiveness that keeps them at the top of their game.
“We’re just two people fighting for something bigger than our friendship,” Ospreay said.
“He’s very excited to be back at the top and I have nothing but love for this guy.
“When it comes to this point where the stakes are high, our friendship is put to one side, and we will always fight. Because his way of working is the best in AEW and my way of working is the best in AEW. But there can only be one winner.”
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Everything Ospreay has worked for over the past year now comes down in one night. Beat Strickland on Sunday, and walking down the aisle at Wembley Stadium with a chance at a world title becomes a reality.
Ospreay knows what it’s like to fight at Wembley. He performed in front of over 80,000 fans there at the first AEW All In show in 2023, then successfully defended the AEW International Championship against Pac the following year.
It doesn’t compare to what awaits him this summer.
“Climaxing the story in that amazing place and winning the most important championship in all of professional wrestling, the AEW World Championship, to me is the epitome of professional wrestling,” Ospreay said.
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“And to be able to hold that with pride, being one of the first Englishmen to win a world championship on home soil, will fill my heart with great pride and gratitude knowing that I earned it by not compromising who I am, never sacrificing myself, never changing my behavior.”
Sunday is not the finish line. It’s the last hurdle before Ospreay’s dream ends his career chasing.
