32-year-old star says he rejected "big offer" from Tony Khan, scrapped AEW plans revealed
AEW has largely been successful when it comes to acquiring talents they have an eye on. Tony Khan has put his deep pockets to good use in this regard. However, this wasn't enough to draw in one talented star.
The wrestler in question is New Japan Pro Wrestling's Great-O-Khan. Despite appearing on AEW programming before, the United Empire member recently disclosed to Tokyo Sports that he turned down an offer from Tony Khan to officially sign with the promotion, like his stablemates, Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis (Aussie Open), have done.
When it was suggested that United Empire was leaving Japan, O-Khan said the following:
“What do you mean? You, shut up. It was on orders that Aussie Open went to AEW to expand the empire’s territory, as planned. I also got a big offer from Tony Khan, and MJF [asked me to fight], but I turned them down in favor of my invasion of New Japan.” (H/T WrestleTalk)
It seems as though United Empire is staying put in Japan for the time being. However, with their expansion well and truly underway, it may just be a matter of time before fans see the likes of Will Ospreay and Great-O-Khan in the Jacksonville-based promotion more frequently.
Will Ospreay returning to AEW soon?
AEW is set to host its biggest-ever event to date when they cross the pond for All In at Wembley Stadium in London, United Kingdom. However, little is still known about how the show will play out, and one of the major questions on people's minds is whether it will feature the third Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay bout for the year.
The Cleaner and The Aerial Assassin are currently stuck at a deadlock in matches for the year, with either man boasting one victory apiece. This has led many to believe that a rubber match is on the cards, and All In would be the perfect setting for a match of this magnitude.
Ospreay has already made himself available for the show despite not being a member of the roster. Omega undoubtedly wants to reclaim the IWGP US Championship. So, all that needs to be done is for Tony Khan to make it official.