Hayabusa’s brother says family felt ‘proud’ of Will Ospreay’s AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door tribute
Hayabusa’s brother wrote a letter saying he was ‘very proud’ of the AEW Forbidden Door tribute.
AEW Japan on social media shared a letter from Takanori Ezaki that was written prior to Sunday’s joint show between NJPW and AEW.
It reads:
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
Ospreay wore a costume similar to Hayabusa’s in the main event of Forbidden Door, ultimately losing to Swerve Strickland in a match for the AEW World Championship. On social media, he said that Hayabusa’s daughter had given him her blessing to use the mask and oufit.
Hayabusa’s daughter thanked Ospreay on X for the tribute.
One of the premier high flyers of the 1990s, Hayabusa was paralyzed from the waist down after breaking his neck in 2001 during a match. He was mostly confined to a wheelchair until his death in 2016.