Why AEW star Will Ospreay said no to WWE and how he became famous without ‘the machine’
AEW star Will Ospreay recently shared why he doesn’t regret saying no to WWE back in 2016. He’s proud of making his own way in wrestling instead of following the usual path.
The British wrestler has a big moment coming up at Wembley Stadium for ‘All In’ on 30 August, where he’ll headline the show with a chance to win the AEW world title. He’s facing Omega in the main event and hopes to achieve what England’s football team couldn’t this summer – become a world champion.
Starting out as a backyard wrestler when he was a teenager, the 33-year-old has trained all over the world and grown into one of AEW’s biggest stars. AEW is a huge wrestling company partly owned by Tony Khan, who also runs Fulham Football Club.
Ospreay worked his way up without WWE, even though they wanted him for their 2016 ‘Cruiserweight Classic’ tournament, which many other British wrestlers joined. Despite being one of the best high-flyers today, Ospreay chose not to join and feels confident he made the right choice.
“I watched the Cruiserweight Classic and thought it was okay,” Ospreay told SPORTbible. “But the wrestling I was doing and watching in Japan was way better. I’ve never really been a WWE guy. I enjoyed seeing guys I knew from the indie scene perform there, which was cool, but it didn’t really grab me. I preferred the style of wrestling I was surrounded by in Japan – it just topped it.”
While many wrestlers grew up inspired by stars like The Rock and John Cena, Ospreay was more drawn to fast, exciting wrestling styles from WCW’s cruiserweights and TNA’s X division. Without formal training, he taught himself aerial moves using a trampoline in his backyard and lots of practice.
“I was more interested in the athletic side than the talking parts of wrestling,” he said. “As a kid, I was fearless and tested what I could do. Friends would suggest moves, and I’d try them with a twist. People thought I’d been in gymnastics, but I just used my trampoline and watched wrestling on TV over and over.”
Ospreay feels proud that he made his name outside of the big WWE machine. “I built my reputation in Japan, the UK, and Europe, then America noticed me,” he explained. “By the time I came to the US, I already had a name. This is my vision for wrestling, and I’m proud of it.”
He also says he’s improving all the time. “I’m not just flying around anymore; I’m working on ground wrestling and technique. I still add some high-flying moves, because few can match me there. I’ve grown from just being a high flyer to exploring new styles and evolving my wrestling.”
Don’t miss AEW All In London at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, 30 August. Tickets are on sale at LiveNation.co.uk.