With the ultimate of the Men’s Owen Hart Tournament set to pit Swerve Strickland against Will Ospreay at Forbidden Door, one yr on from teaming to remove the Young Bucks as EVPs of the corporate, this week saw them come face-to-face to hash things out.
Ospreay was out first to speak about his wedding and the way he was purported to be on his honeymoon, but Alex Windsor understood how much the tournament meant to him and encouraged him to go. He then said that he “smashed her” and hopped on the flight to return and, presumably, tell us all about his escapade and the way it ties to his wrestling journey.
Eventually, Strickland got here out to anchor the segment and stop Ospreay from delving deeper into wherever it’s his mind was headed. Things picked up from here, with Strickland outright telling Ospreay that he had modified; in any case the time they spent together to bring down the Death Riders, he was now working with them and had yet to articulate why.
Ospreay said he hadn’t forgotten nor necessarily forgiven them, but he let go and accepted help to take that next step and turn into World Champion. He saw plenty of guys attempting to help him because the Death Riders attacked him eventually yr’s Forbidden Door, but none of them were Strickland. He said he would have run through a brick wall for Strickland and expected the identical.
Strickland cut all through that and gave his own tackle the history, recalling when Ospreay told him to face back since it was Hangman Page’s time to turn into World Champion. He asked where Page is now and said every little thing they did on Ospreay’s word was ultimately for nothing.
Now, he said, Ospreay expects him to face back and let him turn into World Champion. “F*** that,” he yelled, occurring to say that every time they meet within the ring, it finally ends up the identical: Strickland beats Ospreay and his fragile neck.
Then they got right into a fight, and Strickland looked to make use of a series before the Death Riders emerged to point out how the sport had modified. Or, as Strickland went on to say before leaving, Ospreay had modified.
This was an important segment to put out the stakes and the context behind the ultimate bout between Strickland and Ospreay. Neither man was particularly fallacious from their perspective, but have grown naturally opposed as a result of their pursuit of the title.
Of the three men leading the charge against the Death Riders, these are the one two left to fight for the title. They’ve taken two different paths where morality might be questioned on either side, only demonstrating how much the title, and thus this match, means to them.
Written by Max Everett