NJPW’s upcoming Sakura Genesis event has received a huge boost. The Aerial Assassin himself, Will Ospreay, will be in action on April 4th at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo.
Ospreay recently returned to AEW programming following a seven-month medical hiatus for neck surgery. The British star returned to action last week with a victory over Blake Christian.
He is now set to challenge Jon Moxley at AEW Dynasty on April 12th, reigniting the feud that saw Ospreay written off television in August of last year. Before beating Christian, Ospreay attacked Moxley and the Death Riders at AEW Revolution earlier this month. The attack was launched shortly after Moxley had defeated Konosuke Takeshita to retain his AEW Continental Championship.
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Sunday 4/12@JonMoxley vs @WillOspreayMoxley took Ospreay out for half a year at Forbidden Door 2025, and since returning at #AEWRevolution, the Billy Goat has been laser focused on revenge!
See the grudge match of Mox vs Ospreay, SUNDAY 4/12! pic.twitter.com/X3pqAKqJ9R
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) March 26, 2026
But before Ospreay can seek further retribution against Moxley and his Death Riders, a trip to Tokyo beckons. The former IWGP Heavyweight Champion was in attendance at Wrestle Kingdom 20 in January, paying tribute to the retiring Hiroshi Tanahashi. But it wasn’t to be a fleeting visit for Ospreay.
The following day at New Year’s Dash, he confronted Callum Newman, the succeeding leader of United Empire. Ospreay vowed to return to NJPW to help Newman lead the group once more. But despite Ospreay’s best intentions, the confrontation was laced with tension.
Since then, those tensions between the leaders have grown – especially in light of Newman’s comments following his New Japan Cup triumph earlier this month. Newman stated in a post-Cup press conference that United Empire belonged to him now, suggesting that Ospreay might be phased out of the group upon return.
Ospreay Set for United Empire Reunion at Sakura Genesis
Regardless of his authority in the group, Ospreay remains a member of United Empire – at least for now. And that is reflected in the nature of his first solely NJPW match in over two years. The Aerial Assassin will team up fellow United Empire members HENARE and Great-O-Khan to take on Yuya Uemura, Taichi, and El Desperado in six-man tag action. But it remains to be seen whether this is a genuine reunion or the basis for betrayal.
As for Newman, he will be looking to take home NJPW’s biggest prize in the main event. His New Japan Cup victory earned him a shot at IWGP Heavyweight Champion Yota Tsuji. And depending on the outcome of Newman and Ospreay’s matches, Sakura Genesis could be the catalyst for an intriguing feud between the United Empire leaders.
