Will Ospreay has looked back on one of the more surprising moments of his career, revealing that his heated rivalry with the late Vader ended with an unexpected promise from the WWE Hall of Famer.

The pair became linked in 2016 after Vader publicly criticized Ospreay and Ricochet's Best of the Super Juniors match, describing it as "blatant acrobatics" and questioning whether the bout reflected the objective of winning a wrestling match. The criticism sparked widespread debate among fans and ultimately led to Ospreay facing Vader at Revolution Pro Wrestling later that year.

Speaking on Talk Is Jericho, Ospreay shared what happened after the match, explaining that the conversation backstage took him completely by surprise.

"The bit after as well. So, we're sat there and uh like I won't lie, but he stunk, man," Ospreay said with a laugh.

He continued, "Will come here. He sat on this yoga ball... and he was like, 'I didn't know how good you were. I'm going to talk to Vince for you.'"

Ospreay admitted he had no idea how to respond at the time.

"Okay, mate. Go."

Chris Jericho pointed out that the public disagreement ultimately worked in both men's favor, creating significant buzz before they eventually met in the ring.

Although it remains unclear whether Vader ever spoke to Vince McMahon on Ospreay's behalf, the British star has previously revealed that Vader had hoped to work a trilogy of matches together. Looking back, what began as a very public criticism ended with an unexpected show of respect from one of wrestling's most iconic big men.