#193: Swerve Strickland vs. Will Ospreay, AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door (6/30/2024).
This is #8 in my Top Matches of 2024.
This is for Swerve’s AEW World Championship. Ospreay’s International Championship is not on the line.
Ospreay won the Casino Gauntlet Match to earn this title shot. On the road leading to this match, Swerve questioned whether Ospreay was ready for the weight that comes with being the top man in the promotion. That interaction was incredible.
I will be the first to admit that I think these two having a singles main event match this soon into Ospreay’s AEW run was a mistake. This could’ve been saved for some time down the road. Also, on a joint show between AEW and New Japan, having two AEW guys go at it in the main event just seemed silly to me. Alas, I had no doubts of the quality that this match would have.
The bell sounds, and the crowd is white hot already. They lock up, and we have a stalemate already. Swerve gets Ospreay against the ropes, and Ospreay responds with a forearm to the face. They both exchange elbows to the head next, and then Ospreay takes the side headlock. Nice hurricanrana by Ospreay, which Swerve turns into a head scissors. They each throw fast offense at the other, with both blocking smoothly. The crowd approves.
Swerve kicks Ospreay in the gut, and elbows the back of his head. They fight in the corner, with Ospreay unleashing hard chops to the chest. Swerve responds with one of his own. Swerve goes to the middle rope, but Ospreay kicks himself back to his feet, and eggs Swerve on. Swerve kicks Ospreay in the jaw, and Ospreay sends him to the apron. Ospreay kicks him to the floor, and hits a crossbody onto him, landing on his feet in the process.
Ospreay chops Swerve around the ringside area, and places him on the middle rope. Ospreay hits a Drive By, Roman Reigns style. Swerve tries to forearm his way back into the lead, but Ospreay forces him into the corner. He chops the ever loving hell out of the champion. Swerve comes back by tripping Ospreay off the top rope, and landing a middle rope back elbow to the head. Neckbreaker by Swerve, and another, and then he brings Ospreay to the apron. A third and nasty neckbreaker with some torque to it follows.
Swerve with a knee to the back of the head follows, and now he looks to slow it down with a chinlock. Ospreay tries to come back with a series of forearms, and Swerve responds with a nice little left hand to the jaw. Ospreay fights back with a backwards kick to the head. He misses a crossbody to the floor, but is able to forearm Swerve. Swerve trips him off of the barricade next, and now he stands on it along with Ospreay. Swerve looks for a piledriver, but Ospreay counters with a hurricanrana!
He returns Swerve to the ring and hits the Phenomenal Forearm for a nearfall. Swerve hits a back body drop, but Ospreay is right back up with a hard chop. Swerve hits a nasty backbreaker out of nowhere. Nice hip toss into an arm scissors by the champion. Ospreay is able to kick his whole body towards the ropes to break the hold. Swerve throws some light kicks to Ospreay, showing his cockiness. Ospreay is selling the damage to his arm, as he gets in Swerve’s face. Nice forearm exchange follows.
Swerve cuts him off with an uppercut, and Ospreay counters back with a kick to the face. He misses an enziguri, and Swerve goes for the House Call. Ospreay avoids it and goes for the Hidden Blade, but Swerve escapes it. He goes for a hurricanrana, and Ospreay counters into a powerbomb for a 2 count. Ospreay goes right into the Styles Clash, which gets a big pop, and Swerve kicks out again. Ospreay with a round kick to the face, and he goes for the Oscutter, but Swerve is able to jump to the ropes and hit a Swerve Stomp to Ospreay in mid air! Fantastic spot!
Swerve kicks Ospreay to the apron, and kicks his chest in the ropes. Swerve ends up flipping to the floor, and Ospreay goes to the top rope. Swerve intercepts him, and hits an Olympic Slam to the mat below! Swerve crawls over to cover, and Ospreay kicks out. The challenger rolls to the apron for a breather. Swerve is there with him, and he goes for a suplex, but Ospreay escapes and hits the Hook Kick. He goes for the Oscutter, but Swerve avoids it, and Ospreay lands back first on the apron! Swerve goes to the top rope, and looks for the Swerve Stomp, but Ospreay rolls to the floor.
Swerve repositions himself, and hits the Swerve Stomp to Ospreay, sending him crashing into the announcer’s table! It didn’t budge! Swerve brings Ospreay back on top of the barricade, and spikes him with a piledriver on the barricade! He brings him back into the ring and hits an inverted DDT, and Ospreay is somehow able to kick out. Swerve is on the top rope, and Ospreay hits the ropes to disrupt the balance.
Ospreay hits an avalance Oscutter, followed immediately by a proper Oscutter! He covers, and Swerve is able to kick out. He hits the Hidden Blade, but Swerve blocks with his forearms. Hook Kick connects twice, and he tries for the Oscutter again, but Swerve counters, and looks to snap the arm, and Ospreay counters into a roll up for 2. Oscutter connects again, and Ospreay goes right into the Storm Breaker! He covers, and Swerve kicks out, a rarity for that finisher!
Ospreay tries for Storm Breaker again, and Swerve is fighting it off. Sick looking headbutt by Ospreay, and he looks like he’s going to go for the Tiger Driver 91! Swerve counters it into a roll up for 2. Hidden Blade by Swerve! Out of nowhere by the champion. He goes to the top rope, and misses the Swerve Stomp! Ospreay hits the Hidden Blade to the referee by accident. Poisonrana by Swerve, and Ospreay goes into the Hidden Blade out of it! He covers, but there’s no ref.
Don Callis is here, and he hands a screwdriver to Ospreay. He’s questioning whether he needs it, as Prince Nana knocks Callis on his ass. Ospreay threatens to stab Nana with the screwdriver, but he tosses it aside instead. He sends Nana away, and goes into the ring, right into the House Call from Swerve! Swerve goes to the top, and hits the Swerve Stomp! He covers, and the new referee Aubrey Edwards only gets to 2!
Swerve snaps the arm back right away, and he hits a sick looking House Call. He covers, and Ospreay kicks out again! He’s right back to his feet. The crowd is going bananas! Ospreay tries to pull his elbow pad off, and Swerve looks disgusted. Ospreay tries for the Hidden Blade, but he falls into Swerve, who catches him and pats his head. Another House Call by the champion, followed by the Big Pressure JML Driver for the 3 to win and retain the championship. Post match, both men show each other respect.
That was absolutely fantastic, and one of the most fun matches I saw all year long. These are two of the hottest wrestlers in the business today, and here, they got to shine equally against one another. It had a great story going, as Ospreay looked to prove he had what it took to stand toe to toe against the very best, while Swerve zeroed in on the dominant arm of the challenger, making the Hidden Blade less effective as the match wore on. After nearly a half hour of nonstop frantic action, that strategy worked, as Ospreay simply couldn’t keep up with Swerve, who kicked his lights out by the time the bell rang.
An effective showcase of two of wrestling’s brightest stars, though I still stand by the fact that this match shouldn’t have happened so soon. It’s still awesome, and I can only imagine what a match with a better build and storyline could have in the long run.