Many have referred to Will Ospreay as the best wrestler in the world over the past year, including Ospreay himself, but on Sunday night at AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door, he found himself second best to AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland. After nearly 30 minutes of back and forth action, a Don Callis appearance, and indecisiveness on Ospreay's part, Strickland overcame the "Aerial Assassin" and defeated him with a second House Call kick, giving Strickland his fourth successful title defense, and, to many, the defining match of his title reign so far.
After the dust had settled, Strickland had a notable, "Lost In Translation" esq moment with Ospreay in the ring, with the AEW World Champion taking a moment to hug Ospreay and whisper something in his ear. During the post-Forbidden Door media scrum, Strickland was asked about what he said to Ospreay, and Strickland was more than happy to giving an answer.
"I honestly just told him I love him...and he's the best in the world," Strickland said. "He's one of the best talents I've ever seen, and it's going to be a long time until you find someone as special as him [and] how he does it. And I can't wait to do it with him again some day."
While Ospreay will now have to work his way back to challenging Strickland, beginning this Wednesday on "Dynamite" with an AEW International Title defense against Daniel Garcia, Strickland's next challenger will be determined by the winner of the Owen Hart Foundation Cup. The tournament will continue this Wednesday on "Dynamite," with Bryan Danielson facing PAC, while Jeff Jarrett will take on the mysterious Wild Card participant.
