Summary

Will Ospreay has joined the growing criticism of TNA's decision to pull Leon Slater and Nic Nemeth from independent matches against AEW talent.

Slater had been scheduled to face Ricochet, while Nemeth was set for a match with MJF. TNA president Carlos Silva said "partner conflicts" were behind the move, a call that has already drawn backlash from multiple corners of wrestling, including a recent public shot from a West Coast Pro owner.

Speaking to Josh Martinez, Ospreay said the decision did not line up with the kind of inter-promotional flexibility he had seen earlier in his own career. He pointed to his January 2018 match with Pete Dunne, which took place while he was IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and Dunne was WWE UK Champion.

Quote from Will Ospreay

"The fact that WWE and New Japan let that match happen, and TNA, of all people, who the fuck do you think you guys are? I'm sorry. All the fucking talk they were giving about being number two and you want to get permission for these guys to do that match and then pull them? I think that's cowardly shit. I think that says everything about what you view your talent as. You view them as less than AEW talent, and that they don't want to grow and they don't want to develop and they don't want to give back to fans. That's me being a hard TNA fan. Those beginning years, the 04-05 era will always be my favorite era in wrestling, but come on, we got all the best guys from there. To be fair, I like Steve Maclin, he's sick. Hang your head in shame, honestly."

What Ospreay's comments mean for TNA and AEW

Ospreay's remarks push this story beyond one canceled indie booking because a top AEW name is now framing TNA's decision as a reflection of how the company values its own wrestlers. That sharpens the public tension around a move that already affected Slater and Nemeth directly.

It also keeps the focus on whether TNA wants its roster involved in outside matches that also feature AEW talent. With Ospreay speaking so bluntly before Dynasty, the issue now looks less like a quiet scheduling dispute and more like a visible point of friction between major names tied to both sides of the broader wrestling landscape.

Sources

As reported by Fightful.