Will Ospreay: I’ve Just Never Been A WWE Guy
Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega are set to headline AEW All In on Sunday, marking the first time two wrestlers who have never been in WWE will headline AEW’s biggest show.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The Ariel Helwani Show, Ospreay spoke about the importance of headlining Wembley having never been with WWE.
“I’ve never been to WWE. Never been backstage. I’ve had a phone call, and that’s about it. Other than that, that’s one of the coolest things, to say there are so many guys who have never performed at Wembley Stadium….The Rock hasn’t done it, Triple H hasn’t done it, so many icons of the business have never performed at this iconic stadium. The fact that two guys who never made their name in WWE are main eventing speaks volumes about the promotion AEW has done and the feeling around it. People want us to succeed and do well,” he said.
Asked if he grew up as a WWE fan, Ospreay said he didn’t.
“I feel like I got into it just as WCW and ECW were about to be bought out. My dad bought ECW tapes; I used to watch it, but I was like forbidden. ECW was sick. After that, [WWE] just wasn’t for me. I didn’t like it. I didn’t like the presentation behind it. I still have those feelings now. I found TNA, and that was a style that spoke to me. The X-Division was huge for me. Then, finding Pro Wrestling NOAH, Dragon Gate, and New Japan were the things that inspired me and made me want to be a pro wrestler. WWE has never really driven me. When you first get into the industry and first start learning it, even in the schools, we had a guy that got sign to WWE in the schools, he never ended up going because of a heart condition, but they were always telling you, ‘WWE is the route,’ meanwhile, I’m in the background like, ‘I’d love to wrestle in a six sided ring and go over to Japan and learn strong style.’ I’ve just never been a WWE guy.
“I remember watching AJ come out in the Royal Rumble, and we were eating chicken nuggets in McDonald’s the week before. It was cool to see that, but it wasn’t a moment of, ‘Maybe one of these days I’ll go do that.’ I’ve never had that connection. I’ve always loved myself in Japan. Honestly, if AEW wasn’t a thing, I’d probably still be in Japan.”
Ospreay signed with AEW in 2024.
Elsewhere during the interview, Ospreay commented on not signing with WWE at the time and why he doesn’t like their overall style. You can find his full comments here.
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