AEW Revolution 2024 was a show that centered around bidding farewell to one of the greatest babyfaces this business has ever seen, but as Sting rode off into the sunset, AEW fans witnessed the first step in Will Ospreay becoming someone who could be a generational babyface in his own right.

If there’s one thing that some AEW fans struggled with when Ospreay used to make his yearly appearances during Forbidden Door season, it’s that for as much heel work as he tried to pack into his bouts, his offense is simply too good not cheer for. Ospreay has always been a divisive figure, but you can’t deny that when you see him doing some of the things he can do, you know there are some kids watching who will go out onto their trampolines and start bouncing around trying to emulate the “Aerial Assassin.” 

That’s probably the biggest takeaway from this match. AEW had bagged themselves a man who can be the real-life superhero that will appeal to the younger fans while impressing the older fans by simply being the most athletic man they’ve ever seen in person. It wasn’t just the in-ring action either as his presentation that had become common in NJPW stood out in the best way amongst the rest of the AEW roster, from his entrance robe to the sound of his entrance music, Ospreay left Revolution looking like one of the biggest stars in the business and he’d only wrestled one match.

Flowers must be given to Konosuke Takeshita as well, who is still with The Don Callis Family to this day despite a lot of tension between himself and Kazuchika Okada. Takeshita has all the ability to hit the heights that Ospreay can in between the ropes, it’s just whether AEW will put all of its stock into “The Alpha” in the coming years, He might need to break away from Callis in order for that to happen, and we will see what developments are made on that front when Takeshita challenges Jon Moxley for the AEW Continental Championship on March 15.

Sadly, Ospreay won’t be on this year’s Revolution card as he is still recovering from a serious neck injury that has kept him out since last year’s Forbidden Door event. However, judging by the fact that AEW continuously runs video packages on TV about Ospreay’s return, it’s clear that the company has big plans for him when he does eventually return, which everyone will be hoping is in time for AEW’s return to Wembley Stadium for All In London 2026. Will he be the same when he comes back? Time will tell, and Ospreay has already adjusted his style from his NJPW days, but he will give as much effort when he returns as he did in this match with Takeshita, and that’s why he can genuinely make the claim of being on another level.