AEW star Will Ospreay recently opened up about recovering from a serious neck injury and the uncertainty surrounding his in-ring future during an interview with Forbes.
Speaking with Alfred Konuwa, Ospreay reflected on the mental challenges he faced during the recovery process and admitted there were moments when he questioned whether he would ever wrestle again.
“I mean, that always kind of creeped in, but I knew I was going to do everything physically possible to make this go as quickly as possible and get back in the ring. It was always a conversation, and I had great phone calls with my surgeon, Dr. Wallace, who deserves the biggest shoutout because he’s given me a second chance at having a career doing this.”
Ospreay also spoke about how advances in medical science have dramatically changed the outlook for wrestlers dealing with severe neck injuries compared to previous generations.
“I mean, 10 years ago, this was the type of thing that medically disqualified you from wrestling. So the fact that medical science has come so far, man, I’m just grateful and so blessed.”
The former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion additionally gave credit to AEW President Tony Khan for covering the cost of the surgery.
“And I must give the biggest shoutout to Tony [Khan] for paying for that surgery because the moment I saw that f****** bill — bro, it was more expensive than my f****** house. It was crazy.”
Ospreay has continued to establish himself as one of AEW’s top stars since officially joining the company full-time, with many fans and critics considering him one of the best in-ring performers in the world today.
