r/SquaredCircle • u/luchabrunch • 9h ago
Will Ospreay on hitting the Black Arrow: "It was just such an emotional release for everybody because we all thought that maybe that move was long gone and never going to be seen again [...] To be able to give that to the locker room, to me, that means more than any world championship ever."
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u/AGreatHornedOwl 9h ago
You could tell just how much it meant to him. Dude hit it and then just about jumped out of his skin. He was so emotional about it and it was so, so fucking cool/heartbreaking seeing it happen for that reason.
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u/TheGiftOf_Jericho I'm from Winnipeg you idiot! 8h ago
I've never shed a tear over a wrestling move until that night.
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u/ItPains 5h ago
Has to go down as one of the greatest moments in wrestling history. The shot of PAC in the background while Osprey was setting up and then nailing the move. Heartbreaking yet brilliant.
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u/StoneGoldX 5h ago
I believe you meant greatest moments in the history of our great sport.
WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME!
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u/OneBillPhil Guns up! 👆🏻 7h ago
It feels more meaningful than other tribute moves just for the degree of difficulty. Of all of the super athletic guys on the AEW roster not many could even attempt to hit the move during a match.
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u/I_want_to_cum24 8h ago
It was beautiful and the reaction when he hit the Black Arrow was insane
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u/Great-Trifle2810 8h ago
Fortunately it is a complex enough move that we will only see it occasionally from great wrestlers, unlike the three amigos being hit multiple times a show by anyone vaguely Hispanic or loosely connected to Eddie.
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u/JasonVorhehees 8h ago
The three amigos and shimmy are both now such useless cheap heat and pop moments.
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u/davmeltz 7h ago
I feel like he’s been gone long enough that this shouldn’t be a controversial opinion, but it’s a pet peeve of mine when the story that is being told in a match pauses because one of the participants, especially if it’s a heel, wants to pay tribute to Eddie.
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u/Great-Trifle2810 7h ago
Eddie died before some of these people were even old enough to be fans too. Anyone under the age of like 28 doing these spots is kind of silly.
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u/Big_Purchase_3781 6h ago
Except Dom. His makes sense. Storyline.
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u/GinngerMints KNEE!!!! TO... FACEEE!!!!! 6h ago
I can definitely see the argument for this, but my very Mexican family still pops for every single Eddie tribute no matter who does it. It's become a cultural thing now.
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u/FunWolverine5349 5h ago
Yeah it's like the Samoan headbutt. At this point it's just part of the culture. It's like celebrating/nodding to it.
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u/iguanamac 5h ago
Remember when Konnan said he wanted to slap Takeshita for doing it but didn’t say shit when Logan Paul did it right afterwards?
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u/Great-Trifle2810 5h ago
Excuse me Logan Paul is a Puerto Rican hero of the people.
(I actually don't recall this at all, I don't watch WWE or it's toadies lol)
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u/penguin62 It should have been me 7h ago
The way he completely lost his mind with emotion gives me chills every time I watch it.
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u/AllezLesPrimrose 8h ago
Will is one of the most natural babyfaces I’ve seen in a very long time. And it comes from his wrestling persona just being a heightened version of the person he’s grown into being.
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u/JeanClaudeMonet 7h ago edited 6h ago
I always had this thing in my head that Will is Goku and Pac is Vegeta. They always had these intense staredowns everytime they bumped into each other.
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u/OneBillPhil Guns up! 👆🏻 7h ago
Totally agree, Will isn’t a perfect babyface either but he seems genuine which is even better.
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u/StoneGoldX 5h ago
He's so authentic, if you told me no one smartened him up to the nature of the business, I'd believe you. I believe Ospreay believes everything he says. He's like an optimistic version of Eddie Kingston.
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u/irish0451 You know what that means. 5h ago
He's a big dumb golden retriever and I mean that with all the love and affection in the world. Like his smile and energy are just so infectious. I just wanna pat him on the head.
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u/notmakingtherapture 54m ago
Look, I'm not trying to be mean, but he is a grown man who has made a lot of very stupid mistakes and is actively friends with a predator. Can we please not do this he's so wholesome thing again?
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u/irish0451 You know what that means. 13m ago
"Man isn't perfect, more at 11"
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u/notmakingtherapture 10m ago
"man isn't perfect" is making a mistake. Saying something wrong because you didn't realize your words would hurt someone isn't perfect. Not perfect is being rude to people one day because you had a bad day. Not perfect is all of us.
But to actively be friends with and work with a predator? Yeah. I'm going to call that out.
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u/guess-what-babe 8h ago
I know it’s been said over and over, but PAC’s version is genuinely one of the most spectacular moves ever. I can’t even begin to imagine what would happen if I tried to contort my body like that
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u/JokerDeSilva10 8h ago
Shortly after PAC died I saw a video of a professional gymnast highlighting the Black Arrow in his honor. He said (and showed) that he could hit moonsaults, 450s, 630s, Shooting Stars, Double Rotation Moonsaults all no problem, but said the combination of the flip and twist in the Black Arrow is one of the most difficult aerial moves he'd ever tried to do.
It's kind of crazy how much we came to take it for granted that PAC could hit it perfectly night after night. He was one of one.
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u/BaldBombshell Wakamaniac 7h ago
Bryan Alvarez, who was a gymnast when he was younger, talked about how hard it was as well.
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u/ihateeverythingandu 6h ago
Can't remember his name, unfortunately, but I think he is an indy wrestler too.
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u/lilkingsly 8h ago
The fact that he was that big and able to do shit like that is nothing short of insane. Genuinely not abiding by the laws of physics
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u/ihateeverythingandu 7h ago
And 40 years of age.
He was an abnormality. Very few, if any, guys with his physical abilities ever in the business after 20 years in the game and all that wear and tear and being 40. Utter madman.
For something as almost trivial and easily managed as an asthma attack being what stole him from us is surreal. I guess in a weird way it's better than some drug overdose or something but it's still taken him away.
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u/optimis344 A Real Man's Man 8h ago
It's insane how much worse Ospreay's looks, and how it's still the 2nd best one I've ever seen. And I mean that as no slight to Will.
That's how good PAC was. It wasn't reasonable that he could hit that perfectly night in and night out, especially as his size.
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u/y0_master 8h ago
He always was such in control doing it. Always flawless.
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u/Whipwreckeded 8h ago
Crazy he always hit it so clean.
Some folk can’t reliably hit a moonsault week to week.
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u/Gbrown546 8h ago
Wrestlers fascinate me. They make it look so easy. Yet PAC did it consistently accurate and in front of thousands. The Black Arrow will always be one of my fav moves and it’s sad to think we’ll rarely ever see it (if some wrestlers choose to do it in the future)
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u/weaksaucedude 7h ago
That entire match was full of both Ospreay and Ricochet doing Pac's moves and if there's only one thing that stood out, it's how unsmooth Ospreay and Ricochet each looked doing them compared to how Pac would do them. He was truly one of one.
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u/Black_XistenZ 4h ago
To be fair, PAC had done his own moves far more often than these other guys. More reps equals more perfect execution. So it's not really surprising that he executed his own moveset more cleanly than someone else - what's really impressive is how high the consistency and precision in all of his moves was on an absolute scale.
For a guy's moveset to score a 9.8/10 on difficulty and simultaneously a 9.9/10 on consistency and execution is just so impressive.
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u/diamondcutters 8h ago
It’s funny seeing PAC’s super imposed over Will’s. They both hit it but PAC’s rotations and body control is so tight, it’s unreal
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u/JhinPotion 8h ago
Not being able to get it in practice and then hitting it live is incredible. I know that's the story with the Seth RKO too, but there's something really intensely special about doing it when paying tribute like Will did here.
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u/kentalish I'm not ready 8h ago
I heard he got there early and practiced. No way he's going to do that move sloppy
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u/JhinPotion 8h ago
Try listening to what he said in this clip.
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u/senorbuzz 8h ago
Lol they “heard” but not this clip apparently
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u/SamuraiVsNinjas 8h ago
Ospreay tweeted himself that he got to the building early to practice it
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u/JhinPotion 8h ago edited 8h ago
I beg you to actually watch the clip. That is Will Ospreay in the video, talking about that process.
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u/Darkion_Silver 4h ago
But have you considered that I, an enlightened Reddit user, no more than some nobody called William Ostrich? Take my smug correction and begone
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u/AmountNew2152 8h ago
Good luck to anyone trying to pick that move up. Like throwing your body into an invisible barrel abs first.
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u/Gbrown546 8h ago
The fact that PAC could do it so casually, week on week, is just incredible.
As a Brit, always had PAC as one of my favourite wrestlers. He was just so good, and consistently good too.
Like a lot of professionals have said, his moveset will be replicated by training schools around the world
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u/Last_Material_5754 8h ago
You could see it on his face just how much it meant to him to hit the move in honour of Ben.
There is 0 doubt in my mind that single maneuver was worth far more than any belt or title.
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u/daprice82 REWINDERMAN 8h ago
Multiple wrestlers posted about how everybody in the back watching went insane when he hit it.
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u/MuptonBossman 8h ago
This may have been the first time I actually broke down into tears over a wrestling move… It was beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time.
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u/TheTJOmega 8h ago
Will has had to carry so much since his push to All In and he's handled all of it so well. He deserves to lead that company, for more than just his in ring work.
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u/Roller95 8h ago
It was the perfect tribute, and the perfect moment for such a show. You could tell how badly he wanted to hit it well, and the release afterwards was honestly beautiful to see
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u/SchuFighters 8h ago
Will has lost a lot of people he was close to. Mad Kurt, Hana Kimura, Pac. The loss of Ryan Smile is very much a part of his everyday life.
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u/y0_master 8h ago
I've watched the move so many times (especially since PAC's death) &, honestly, I cannot understand how you do it!
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u/NesNobnaz 8h ago
We can all mock Will for not always being the sharpest knife in the crayon box, but one thing you can't say is what a lovely man he is. Of all the wrestlers I've ever seen, he's the most lovable.
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u/penguin62 It should have been me 7h ago
Has he done/said anything stupid in the last few years? I feel like this is an old thing from when he was a teen/early 20
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u/notmakingtherapture 57m ago
Look, this is a heartfelt tribute. But Will is friends with a predator. Let's not do this "he's the sweetest guy!" Routine again. It happened with Hangman and I feel like people are doing the same thing with Ospreay.
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u/No_Hotel1847 7h ago
This guy is such a boon for pro wrestling. The business needs more like him on both sides. I'm sure there are and they receive this praise too
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u/FunWolverine5349 5h ago
I couldn't believe he hit it. And it reminded me again how insane PAC was, because it wasn't even as good as PAC's which just made it all the more perfect. It was a tribute out of love and pure love.
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u/Nervous_Ad3387 6h ago
I wasn't sure if I wanted to see it that night. When they announced Will Vs Ricochet I knew he would do it and was open to it. Seeing it done was beautiful, that's when I cried.
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u/ZFunktopus HUGGBEES 8h ago
I was there and got so emotional when it was clear he was going to even try it. When it hit it there were tears.
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u/jonnyg1097 7h ago
If that was the last time we see the move performed then I wouldn't be upset. It was the perfect send off
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u/HTDS2 6h ago
STEVIE RICHARDS did an analysis of PACS black arrow on his youtube last week, seeing PAC rotating and tucking his wrist and arms in just before he turns it into a splash is spectacular! The fact that PAC also came back bigger and was still hitting the black arrow was even more impressive, i recommend watching it cause the rotation is mind boggling
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u/snaphunter 6h ago
Hey OP (or anyone), what show is this please? I'd like to hear the full interview.
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u/JustdoitJules 3h ago
Id like to think kayfabe wise, that Will cant ever have perform it, however in a DBZ esque sequence while he sets up to do the move PAC in spirit tells him to just let go. 😭 RIP PAC
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u/theMAJdragon 3h ago
It was my moment of the year and unfortunately in the worst set of circumstances
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u/Competitive-Stock-75 2h ago
Man as soon as i saw that match i went “oh this is the black arrow match” but i still thought Ricochet would do it because Ospreays body proportions made me think he couldn’t. I am very happy to be wrong
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u/SpyralRush 1h ago
I feel like that should be Ospreays new Final Finisher after the Tiger Driver 91
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u/snollygoozle 4h ago
The production team also deserves kudos. When Will climbed to the top rope, the way the camera framed Will plus the backdrop of Pac in the background titantron screen looked as if he was cheering on Will. To use an overused meme, it was 'pure cinema'.
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u/ymiab2021 4h ago
I kinda want him to add it to his repertoire for special occasions and call it the PAC Arrow.
With Mrs Satterlys blessing of course.
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