In a gripping duel, Swerve Strickland emerged victorious over Will Ospreay to successfully retain his title of AEW World Champion. This showcase match took place at the highly anticipated AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door 2024 event that occurred last Sunday.
Revelations have surfaced via Fightful Select detailing the reasoning that spawned the riveting showdown between Ospreay and Strickland at the aforementioned event.
As per the released report, Ospreay, who shares a time-honored friendship and professional rivalry with Swerve, was visibly agitated by the looming belief that Swerve’s championship was merely a short-term placeholder, meant to be forwarded to him at AEW All In 2024.
Intent on tearing down this assumption, Ospreay proactively reached out to AEW management, recommending an initiative that could uplift Strickland and thereby dismantle the “placeholder” speculation.
Looking at high-scale creative plans in the pipeline, Ospreay had to be more comfortable with the decision. His main objective was to establish an understanding that AEW’s success depends on a collective effort.
After clinching the AEW International Title, Ospreay magnified the essence of humility and teamwork. He iterated that no wrestler should hesitate to concede the title to the AEW World Champion.
In opposition to prior speculations, no arrangements were in place for a clash between Ospreay and Swerve at AEW All In 2024. Both athletes have been assigned different adversaries for the event.
Insiders at AEW have extolled Ospreay’s cooperative spirit and his readiness to support his peers within the organization.