Will Ospreay has been candid about the physical realities of his return from neck surgery, revealing the specific moves he has permanently removed from his arsenal and describing the surreal experience of finally understanding just how compromised his body had been before going under the knife. Speaking with Wrestling Brain, Ospreay offered a detailed and honest account of where he stands physically and mentally heading into the next chapter of his career.
“For certain moves now that I’ve just got rid of — I can’t do the shooting star press anymore. To do that I need to be able to fully put my head back. I can’t do it anymore. To throw my entire body weight behind it, I really need to arch my back and look back and I just don’t trust it anymore,” Ospreay said. He clarified that a moonsault and front flip remain viable, but the specific hyperextension required for a shooting star press is no longer something he is willing to attempt.
Will Ospreay Says Chris Jericho Warned Him to Stop His Dangerous Ring Style as Far Back as 2018
The return has already produced encouraging results despite the limitations. “Nothing has felt off at all. I can’t tell you enough — when I was wrestling with a bum neck and I didn’t realize how bad it was, there would be moments in a match where I would take a bump and just lose my left arm. To come out on the other side, I’ve taken some big bumps already — been thrown off the top rope with a belly to belly and made it halfway across the ring and my neck’s still intact.” Ospreay also revealed that Chris Jericho reached out with advice as far back as 2018 following a particularly dangerous spot where Ospreay threw himself headfirst into the floor rather than the ring apron. “Jericho just was like, ‘Yo, like stop it now.’ How can you not listen to someone who’s just trying to look out for your health and safety?” Despite the surgery and the removed moves, Ospreay was emphatic about his long-term future. “I’m here for the long term and there’s nothing stopping me anymore.”
