Last week, Will Ospreay vacated the IWGP World title due to a neck injury.
The 28 year old Brit defended the belt against Shingo Takagi at May 4’s Wrestling Dontaku event. But it’s not clear how much of his current health status is a result of something specific that happened in that match, and how much is a result of cumulative damage Ospreay’s done to his body since he started wrestling in 2012.
An x-ray he shared earlier this week didn’t clarify the situation. It didn’t look good, though.
— ᵂⁱˡˡ ᴼˢᵖʳᵉᵃʸ • ウィル・オスプレイ (@WillOspreay) May 25, 2021
Then this afternoon, Ospreay shared a pretty bleak prognosis after a check-up. Doctors seem concerned he’s dealing with multiple instances of the same issue along his spine. The Aerial Assassin displays some fighting spirit, and expresses some gratitude before signing off.
Had my physio pop over the house today & after further digging I’m now being referred for another MRI on my lower back as well for fears I may have the same issue in my neck.
— ᵂⁱˡˡ ᴼˢᵖʳᵉᵃʸ • ウィル・オスプレイ (@WillOspreay) May 26, 2021
Things ain’t looking good, but I’m determined to comeback this year
Thanks for all the support.
We’ve seen what modern medicine can do for wrestlers with spinal issues. But in cases like Edge’s, it took a lot more than just a few months off before it was deemed safe for him to return to the ring.
Could Ospreay be back this year? Should he be trying?
We’ll see what his doctors say. New Japan is moving on - likely to the man who was supposed to be Ospreay’s next challenger, Kazuchika Okada.