Hayabusa's Family Proud Of Will Ospreay's Tribute At AEW X NJPW Forbidden Door

Will Ospreay once again paid tribute to the late Hayabusa, with Ospreay donning a Hayabusa mask for his entrance ahead of his main event AEW World Title Match against Swerve Strickland at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2024.

This was not the first time Ospreay has paid tribute to the ‘Phoenix’ of FMW, having originally done so at NJPW/STARDOM Historic X-Over in 2022. AEW’s Japanese language X/Twitter account shared a letter from Hayabusa’s brother Takanori Ezaki, with Ezaki revealing his family’s pride at seeing Hayabusa celebrated so fondly on a big stage:

“Hello, This is Takanori Ezaki, a younger brother of Hayabusa. I heard that Will Osprey would like to use Hayabusa's costume and entrance theme for Forbidden Door. We, the family of Hayabusa, felt very proud. It's been more than 20 years since he was injured in 2001. Many people still sent him their respects over seas. We greatly appreciate it. I wish the AEW wrestlers safety. Please keep showing us good fights, and be careful not to get injured. I also wish that both Forbidden Door and AEW will be successful. Takanori Ezaki”

Hayabusa - real name Eiji Ezaki - was left paralysed in October 2001 when landing on top of his head during a lionsault attempt. One of the most innovative and copied wrestlers of the 1990s, Hayabusa was FMW’s top draw after Atsushi Onita’s exit. Although the accident in 2001 left him paralysed, Ezaki eventually regained some use of his legs, and by 2015 was able to stand up and walk with the use of a cane. Eiji Ezaki would pass away in March 2016, after suffering a cerebral haemorrhage.