Will Ospreay opens up about the Tiger Driver '91.
Ospreay often used the move during his time in NJPW and elsewhere. However, after Bryan Danielson had an injury scare during his match against Ospreay at AEW Dynasty, Ospreay retired it. Ospreay previously said that Danielson needing to get neck surgery was enough to keep him from using the move.
Speaking on Close Up with Renee Paquette ahead of the August 21st episode of AEW Dynamite, Will Ospreay was asked to discuss his mindset about the Tiger Driver '91.
“I don’t really like addressing it, but we’ll get into it. Back in 2023, I had just wrestled Kenny [Omega], it was one of the most high-profile matches ever. During the COVID era of Japan, it wasn’t kind of any of us, and Kenny belittled all of my work, and I hold it to such a high regard. He belittled me, and that’s why we just don’t like one another anymore, right. I lost. I’m not afraid to say it, I got my ass handed to me. It was like 80% him, 20% me. I got my ass handed to be bad. So recovering from that and coming back from that, I just wasn’t in the mood. I was vengeful," Ospreay said.
Ospreay then recalled hitting the move on Taichi in NJPW, and he stated that he started using it more, as it had never done as much damage as it did against Danielson. He went on to recall how Ricky Steamboat told him not to bastardize the move.
“We’re told in wrestling, like if I throw an elbow at you for a Hidden Blade, yeah, you can put a guard up. If you’re trained enough, you put a guard up. But I don’t want to take anyone’s livelihood away, and I don’t want to take anyone’s career away. So back at Revolution, I remember talking to Ricky Steamboat, and he just wanted to chat with me about strategy, which I’ve never done with a man [like him]. So I start talking to him, and I said, ‘If this doesn’t work, I’ll hit him with the Tiger Driver.’ He was like, ‘What is that?’ So I got it up on my phone and I showed him. His face completely changed. He said, ‘Don’t bastardize that move.’ I never understood what he meant. It’s only when, the aftermath of it all, when I wrestled Bryan, I remember hitting him with a Hidden Blade. I just said, ‘Do a Tiger Driver. Go for it.’ I remember hitting it, I remember firing up. I didn’t see the referee calling for the doctor, so I nail the Hidden Blade, one, two, three, done. It was only when the doctor started coming in and I was just, I don’t know. I’ve never felt like that. Bryan, I genuinely hold, he’s my hero. I have never felt this awful about a man who was on his last legs with pro wrestling, who’s had neck issues before," Ospreay said.
Paquette brought up Danielson headlining AEW All In, and Ospreay made it clear that he still had remorse over hurting Danielson and seeing the damage that had been done. He stated that he was good enough without the move before, and he would be again.
“I understand people are like, ‘Well, he’s in the main event of Wembley, you should do it again.’ Yeah, but you’re not seeing the cortisone injections going into his neck. I am. Man’s going on TV to say, ‘I’ve got to have neck surgery this year.’ Whose fault is that? It’s mine. I live with that burden. No one else does. It’s so easy for everyone to be like, ‘This is stupid, just hit it.’ I genuinely have some remorse and sympathy for hurting someone that I genuinely look up to, and I know there are rules in wrestling, there are some unwritten rules. I just want to avoid it. I’m good enough without it. I was good enough without the move before, I can do it again," Ospreay said.
On the August 21st episode of AEW Dynamite, Danielson told Ospreay "do it", seemingly giving him his permission to use the Tiger Driver '91. More information is available here.
Ospreay recently commented on Ricochet potentially coming to AEW. Check out his comments here.
If you use any of the quotes above, please credit the original source with a h/t and link back to Fightful for the transcription.
