{"id":184724,"date":"2024-09-13T16:42:23","date_gmt":"2024-09-13T21:42:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=184724"},"modified":"2024-09-14T16:04:05","modified_gmt":"2024-09-14T21:04:05","slug":"radicans-take-will-ospreays-2024-in-ring-resume-stands-out-among-the-best-in-the-modern-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2024\/09\/13\/radicans-take-will-ospreays-2024-in-ring-resume-stands-out-among-the-best-in-the-modern-era\/","title":{"rendered":"RADICAN&#8217;S TAKE: Will Ospreay&#8217;s 2024 in-ring resume stands out among the best in the modern era"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-1772132547\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p>AEW has signed a lot of big name wrestlers in recent years to compliment some of the stars they\u2019ve built on their own. With sheer volume of talent on the roster, a lot of them get lost in the shuffle quite easily or don\u2019t get pushed in a way where you get the chance to see the full potential of what they\u2019re able to do as a performer in the ring and character.<\/p>\n<p>AEW is The Expendables movie franchise of the pro wrestling universe. You\u2019ve got all of these big action stars under the same banner at the same time, but not all of them get a chance to shine.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2024\/09\/Screenshot-2024-09-14-at-4.01.36\u202fPM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-184790 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2024\/09\/Screenshot-2024-09-14-at-4.01.36\u202fPM-259x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"132\" height=\"153\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2024\/09\/Screenshot-2024-09-14-at-4.01.36\u202fPM-259x300.png 259w, https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2024\/09\/Screenshot-2024-09-14-at-4.01.36\u202fPM.png 276w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 132px) 100vw, 132px\" \/><\/a>Will Ospreay has been the exception to that rule since AEW signed him away from NJPW earlier this year and he made his official debut as a full-time member of the roster in February. When you look at his body of work in 2024 and with most of the big matches he\u2019s had coming primarily in AEW, he\u2019s the runway candidate for wrestling of the year.<\/p>\n<p>Kazuchika Okada, Jay White, Ricky Starks, and others might not be used to their full potential or used at all in AEW, but WIll Ospreay has been used extremely well since signing with the company. I would give his booking a solid A in AEW, as booker Tony Khan has put him in the position to be in big feuds and have big matches since he\u2019s entered the company.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s delivered incredible matches for AEW on PPV against names like Konosuke Takeshita, Bryan Danielson, Swerve Strickland, and MJF. That list doesn\u2019t count the incredible TV match where he dropped the AEW International Championship to MJF on the July 17 edition of Dynamite that went nearly an hour in length.<\/p>\n<p>Any time Ospreay is in the ring he\u2019s performing at a high level and he\u2019s doing it better than anyone i can recall since Chris Hero put on a nearly untouchable resume of matches on the indies in 2016 wrestling across a number of promotions in the U.S. and internationally.<\/p>\n<p>Ospreay has matured in the ring and as a performer in front of our eyes in 2024. He\u2019s gotten good on the mic and he carries himself like a star in the ring. He\u2019s taken to performing on TV in the U.S. better than I could have ever imagined.<\/p>\n<p>Ospreay\u2019s ascent to the top as a performer has been like watching a great musical artist mature. They put out some really good albums and all the pieces are there for something truly great and then finally they just explode to a whole new level like Taylor Swift did starting in 2023 touring stadiums all over the world and putting out two huge albums in back-to-back years.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2152992716\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>I don\u2019t think Ospreay will be able to beat Hero\u2019s 2016 resume for Wrestler of the Year just because of the sheer volume of incredible matches Hero put on in places like AAW, Evolve, and PWG alone in 2016. Ospreay just doesn\u2019t get the opportunity to wrestle as much as Hero did to gain a clear advantage, but in terms of a wrestler in a major promotion having the type of year and level of consistency in the ring and many of his best matches being on PPV, Ospreay has had one of the best years I\u2019ve ever seen anywhere in any major promotion.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m going to push aside the problems I had with the two big shock and awe spots AEW presented in back-to-back matches to end All Out to focus on just how right the company got the booking of Ospreay vs. Pac.<\/p>\n<p>The Ospreay vs. Pac match for the AEW International Championship stole the show and it showcased many of the things that I enjoy about AEW. I\u2019m a hardcore wrestling fan. There\u2019s no shame in admitting that. Not everyone watching All Out last weekend knew that Pac was one of the first really big names to come out of the U.K. in the mid-2000s as a high flyer that captured attention from indie fans in the U.S. and international fans that saw his body of work in Dragon Gate in Japan.<\/p>\n<p>Pac, much like Ospreay did when he became the face of the second wave of talent to break out in the U.K. starting in 2012 with his run in Progress Wrestling based out of the U.K. getting a lot of attention internationally, so it was a treat to see them facing off in an AEW ring on PPV to those of us that have followed their entire careers.<\/p>\n<p>Ospreay and Pac delivered an incredible match at All Out and the announcers did a good job of highlighting their history. It was a treat for hardcore fans, but it was also an incredible match that all AEW fans could get into with great pacing and Pac working the Brutalizer submission throughout the match. Ospreay came out on top in the end, but the match felt like a war that had been settled in the ring. The match was just another reminder of how good Ospreay is and how deep the AEW roster is when the little-used Pac can be used in such an effective manner.<\/p>\n<p>WIll Ospreay is the runaway Wrestler of the Year in 2024 and it is going to be fun to compare how his run stacks up with other all-time great in-ring years. Hero still stands on top of the mountain in terms of the best overall year in the ring I\u2019ve seen in the modern era, but Ospreay performing to this level on mainstream TV and PPV has been truly special to watch. Looking at the modern landscape of wrestling, it\u2019s hard to imagine anyone seriously challenging Ospreay for Wrestler of the Year in the near future given that he\u2019s only 31 years old and is just entering the prime years of his career.<\/p>\n<p><em>Contact Sean at pwtorchsean@gmail.com. Follow him on X @SR_Torch<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Stay right here and keep the flow going. We think you&#8217;ll like to read this next&#8230;<\/em><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2742079113\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><strong>RECOMMENDED NEXT:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2024\/09\/13\/tony-khan-comments-on-state-of-tv-deal-with-warner-bros-discovery-reports-indicate-ppv-distribution-could-change-plus-rumors-of-a-fox-related-deal\/\">Tony Khan comments on state of AEW TV deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, reports indicate PPV distribution could change, plus rumors of a Fox-related deal<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/prowrestling.net\/site\/2024\/09\/12\/powells-aew-dynamite-hit-list-jon-moxley-and-darby-allin-tag-team-casino-gauntlet-match-for-a-shot-at-the-aew-tag-titles-at-grand-slam-jack-perry-vs-lio-rush-for-the-tnt-title\/\">Powell\u2019s AEW Dynamite Hit List: Jon Moxley and Darby Allin, Tag Team Casino Gauntlet match for a shot at the AEW Tag Titles at Grand Slam, Jack Perry vs. Lio Rush for the TNT Title<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Check out the latest episode of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-show covering the latest episode of Dynamite: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spreaker.com\/episode\/aew-dynamite-post-show-9-11-keller-chase-discuss-moxley-s-explanation-all-out-follow-up-grand-slam-shake-up-casino-tag-more--61355794\">CLICK HERE<\/a> (or search \u201cwade Keller\u201d on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?episode_id=61355794&amp;theme=light&amp;playlist=false&amp;playlist-continuous=false&amp;chapters-image=true&amp;episode_image_position=right&amp;hide-logo=false&amp;hide-likes=false&amp;hide-comments=false&amp;hide-sharing=false&amp;hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"200px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"AEW All Out Post-show Sunday Live Special w\/Wade Keller, Chris Lansdell, Eric Krol\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/AlLzKz_Y7MQ?start=3328&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-1090629059\"><div id=\"pwtor-660962882\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>AEW has signed a lot of big name wrestlers in recent years to compliment some of the stars they\u2019ve built on their own. With sheer volume of talent on the roster, a lot of them <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2024\/09\/13\/radicans-take-will-ospreays-2024-in-ring-resume-stands-out-among-the-best-in-the-modern-era\/\" title=\"RADICAN&#8217;S TAKE: Will Ospreay&#8217;s 2024 in-ring resume stands out among the best in the modern era\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":115985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[46,52,59,53],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-184724","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spotlightarticles","category-opnionandanalysis","category-take_radican","category-opinion_stafftakes"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2021\/03\/Screen-Shot-2021-03-27-at-8.15.37-PM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184724","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=184724"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184724\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":184791,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184724\/revisions\/184791"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/115985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=184724"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=184724"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=184724"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}