Will Ospreay made a surprise appearance at NJPW New Year Dash 2026 on January 5, announcing plans to return to NJPW full-time once medically cleared from neck surgery while nearly becoming the victim of an attack from his former protégé.
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Following United Empire\'s eight-man tag victory over Yota Tsuji, David Finlay, Shingo Takagi and Drilla Moloney, Ospreay emerged to address the faction. The AEW star embraced HENARE and Great-O-Khan but notably ignored Jake Lee completely.
Ospreay told Callum Newman he\'s like his \"little brother\" and apologized for not realizing his NJPW departure caused United Empire\'s struggles. \"Once I handle business in AEW, I\'ll return to NJPW to support Newman,\" Ospreay stated, offering to do things Newman\'s way.
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Newman appeared to accept the olive branch before grabbing a chair to attack Ospreay. HENARE and Great-O-Khan quickly intervened, stopping the assault while Ospreay\'s back was turned. Newman stormed out of the ring without explanation.
The tension stems from Newman\'s resentment over Ospreay\'s 2024 departure. In a pre-Wrestle Kingdom interview, Newman revealed Ospreay never contacted him after leaving NJPW, stating: \"He gave me a hug and said \'Behave.\' That\'s it, and he got in a taxi and left. Didn\'t get a phone call, didn\'t get a text message even.\"
Ospreay underwent neck surgery in September 2025 and has been recovering with a projected timeline that could see him return to action later in 2026.
