Meet Will Ospreay, a 30-year-old Murderer’s Creed fan who many think about to presently be the perfect skilled wrestler on the earth. Will’s not simply a fan of Murderer’s Creed although, his total profession has been constructed on the inspiration of the Ubisoft collection, and since his early wrestling days he has passed by the Ezio-inspired moniker ‘The Aerial Murderer’.
“I like [the phrase] ‘work at nighttime to serve the sunshine’,” explains Ospreay. “It spoke volumes [to me] for some unusual purpose. It simply felt like a superhero [mantra I wanted to adopt] weirdly, and I like being the great man. I adore it.
“I went on eBay and acquired a cosplay outfit of Assassin’s Creed.” he shares. “Everybody knew it was a cosplay jacket, [but] individuals understood what I used to be going for.”
It’s been over ten years since Will Ospreay first donned the enduring Murderer’s hood, and regardless of its humble cosplay beginnings, the look has been a everlasting fixture for a decade. It’s taken him from bingo halls to the big-time of WWE’s rival promotion, All Elite Wrestling. Alongside the way in which, Will spent eight years in New Japan Professional Wrestling, honing not solely his craft but additionally his Murderer’s Creed-inspired persona.
“It opened up gateways in my mind with wrestling,” Ospreay says. “It made me assume a lot deeper in regards to the entrance [and] the way in which I introduced and carried myself on digital camera. With out Assassin’s Creed, I do not assume I might be as far in my wrestling profession as I might be proper now.”
Will’s obsession started with Ezio Auditore da Firenze, however unusually not his look in Murderer’s Creed 2, however somewhat in his third journey, Murderer’s Creed Revelations. After having fun with that recreation a lot, Ospreay rapidly revisited the entire earlier video games and actually fell in love with the collection. He then started to transition Murderer’s Creed influences into his future wrestling profession.
“You have obtained about six seconds to win a crowd over,” explains Ospreay. “The second you stroll by means of that curtain, you have got to have one thing about you. Whether or not you’re a freak, otherwise you’ve obtained lengthy hair, you’ve got obtained to have one thing about you.”
“I appear like I work at Tesco, so I actually [needed] one thing to stand out. I liked the Assassin’s Creed video games. The means [the assassins] moved was so charming for me.”
For these acquainted with Will Ospreay, you’ll immediately recognise his unquestionable athletic prowess. Ezio’s free-running motion and Will’s pure potential was an on the spot match, and precisely what he was on the lookout for.
“Me and my buddies would watch parkour and free operating movies,” recollects Ospreay. “To see it utilized in a online game [by a] man who’s kicking ass as nicely, it was, ‘Okay, I’ve an attachment to this character.’”
Ospreay’s wrestling model advanced along with his character, and the Aerial Murderer’s love for utilising Assassin’s Creed continued to develop. The subsequent logical step, then, was to title one of many spectacular strikes in his arsenal after the collection’ most iconic ingredient.
“I imagine it was 2019 after I confronted Ibushi, [the move] obtained a lot of a response from individuals,” Ospreay explains, referring to his lethal swinging again elbow that’s since been labelled the ‘Hidden Blade’. “My buddies have been saying in a WhatsApp group chat ‘You must name it the ‘Hidden Blade.’ I put it on the market into the world, and everybody preferred the concept. Some followers have been tweeting it as nicely. So I used to be like, ‘Oh, what? I am going to keep it up. I am going to name it The Hidden Blade.’ I assumed it match completely for me anyway.”
However the Hidden Blade isn’t the one Murderer’s Creed impressed transfer in his repertoire.
“I began doing a transfer title referred to as the Infrared, which is a 540 diploma corkscrew transfer – it was invented by The Wonderful Pink. However I began calling that the Leap of Religion.” explains Ospreay. “The fundamental purpose I referred to as it that’s as a result of I usually cannot see the place they’re. It’s me hoping for the perfect. I don’t know if that motherf**ker’s behind me or not!”
Taking inspiration from a online game character on your wrestling persona could appear distinctive (and it’s!), however wrestlers often search in uncommon corners of the world for character growth and inspiration.
“My upbringing in wrestling was with Lucha Britannia,” Ospreay says, referring to the London-based, cabaret-like, fantastical lucha libre-inspired present. “They might put a masks on you and say; ‘At the moment you are a lizard.’ And also you’re like, ‘Effectively, what does the lizard do?’ It was for you to work out. So there may be components of me that understands you have got to develop into a personality, and get exterior of your consolation zone.”
Lucha Britannia taught Ospreay not solely to be comfy in his personal pores and skin, but additionally within the character he would go on to personify. Like an murderer, placing on a masks was a means of working at nighttime to serve the sunshine – a lightweight represented by the infinite hours of leisure each wrestling and video video games can present.
“We play video video games and [watch] wrestling for a similar causes, to escape the true world,” Ospreay says. “The actual world sucks generally, however we’ve got to reside in it. However for these few hours we will have a bit little bit of a break from the true world. We do not have to have a look at our tax brackets, we do not have to cope with our governments, we do not have to pay attention to individuals simply spouting off lies always, and we will simply sit there and revel in one thing that we love.”
Being the perfect wrestler on the earth doesn’t come simple, so it’s comprehensible that Ospreay doesn’t all the time have an amazing period of time spare to play video video games anymore. Though he admits to having fallen behind on his latest gaming information, the Murderer’s Creed collection remains to be of nice curiosity to him.
“They’re doing a brand new one. I feel it is set in Japan as nicely,” Ospreay mentions with an enormous smile on his face. “ A Japanese Assassin’s Creed is strictly what I have been ready for my total life. I am so excited for that one to come out.”
In a world the place wrestling superstars like The Rock, John Cena, and Dave Bautista have taken over Hollywood, might Ospreay ever see himself sooner or later residing out his Murderer’s Creed fantasies on the silver display?
“I used to be in New Japan when the Assassin’s Creed movie got here out.” recollects Ospreay. “They needed to use a few of my images from New Japan to assist promote the film coming over!”
“They mentioned if there was going to be an Assassin’s Creed 2, I would give you the option to do some stunt work in it and I obtained excited. Nothing ever got here of it however I would love to be part of Assassin’s Creed.”
Though one other Murderer’s Creed film feels unlikely to arrive anytime quickly, Ospreay has already developed a wonderful relationship with the collection’ creators, Ubisoft. That features a partnership that noticed him costume as Murderer Creed Syndicate’s The Ripper throughout his entrance at Wrestle Kingdom 18 (New Japan’s equal of Wrestlemania) full official Murderer’s Creed music.
“After getting the go forward from Ubisoft to have their theme taking part in for my final Tokyo Dome match, they mentioned that there are alternatives for me to discover with Assassin’s Creed now,” shares Ospreay. “So if there ever was a film, or a recreation, or perhaps a downloadable Aerial Murderer [character], I am utterly open for it. I like the Assassin’s Creed franchise and actually, it could be an honour.”
Maybe even only a Will Ospreay-themed pores and skin within the subsequent recreation?
“Yeah mate, that may be sick!” agreed Ospreay. ”Particularly the outfit I’ve obtained now [in AEW]. I appear like an Elton John Energy Ranger, mate. I look nice!”
Dale Driver is IGN’s Government Producer of Video Programming, a lifelong wrestling fan, and a really blissful boy after Will Ospreay repeatedly referred to as him “bruv”. Comply with him on Twitter.