Will Ospreay Reveals Vader Privately Admitted He Was Wrong, Offered to Pitch Him to Vince McMahon

One of the more memorable social media dust-ups in recent wrestling history came in 2016, when the late Vader took aim at Will Ospreay and Ricochet following their celebrated match at NJPW’s Best of Super Juniors. Vader was blunt in his critique, writing at the time: “Blantant acrobatics, no story, is there anything done in this video that relates to winning u could get 2 high school gymnast and put on a show.” The comments ignited a fierce online debate about wrestling philosophy and the direction of the sport.

The public back-and-forth ultimately led to Vader and Ospreay actually lacing up against each other — but what happened behind the scenes after that proved to be a far more surprising chapter of the story. According to Ospreay, Vader privately reversed course, acknowledging that he hadn’t fully appreciated just how talented Ospreay was. More strikingly, Vader reportedly told Ospreay that he intended to speak with Vince McMahon about him — a significant gesture from a man who had been so publicly dismissive just a short time earlier.

It’s a story that underscores how first impressions — even from legends — don’t always tell the whole tale. Vader, who passed away in 2018, is remembered as one of the most physically imposing and legitimately credible big men in the history of the business. That a performer of his stature ultimately came around on Ospreay, and was willing to advocate for him at the highest level, speaks volumes about how far the British star has come since those early viral moments put him on the global map.