Will Ospreay talks All In, promos, family, more

[Chris]

Will Ospreay embracing next great wrestling challenge in AEW: ‘Very much struggle’

Will Ospreay equates what he creates in a professional wrestling ring to being like a musician having their music connect with a live crowd — and there are few better artists than the Aerial Assass…

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Will Ospreay equates what he creates in a professional wrestling ring to being like a musician having their songs connect with a live crowd — and there are few better artists than the Aerial Assassin.

“To me, being in a wrestling show is kind of like you’re playing a concert,” Ospreay tells The Post. “I consider the audience my instruments. If they’re not enjoying it, if they’re not a part of it, I don’t feel like I’m doing my job right as a band member.”

Ospreay’s next “concert” will be at the most prodigious sports venue in his home country of England at Wembley Stadium — this time as a full-time member of All Elite Wrestling.

Ospreay, who defeated Chris Jericho a year ago at Wembley, is set to face American champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman at All In on Sunday (Noon, Bleacher Report, Triller TV).

His and MJF’s chemistry showed in their first-ever meeting, a Match of the Year contender that ended when MJF used his Dynamite Diamond ring with the referee knocked out to win the then-named International championship two seconds before the 60-minute time limit.

“I do somewhat respect Max’s ability,” Ospreay said. “He is captivating. He is a showman and charisma just oozes out of him. He is the total package when it comes to looking for a wrestling star. I just think I’m better. That’s the pure and simple of it.”

Ospreay, 31, officially signed with AEW in November 2023 after eight years with New Japan Pro-Wrestling, choosing them over WWE. He said he let his agent handle the bulk of his free agency so as not to make an emotional decision

He cited the mutual-respect relationship he built with AEW president Tony Khan and the company’s schedule that allows him to remain living in the U.K. and spend the most amount of time with his girlfriend of two years, fellow wrestler Alex Windsor, and her son who just began school.

Ospreay said Windsor and her son “completely changed” his life and stuck together through everything.

Windsor’s husband and Ospreay’s best friend Ryan Smile, 31, died in 2020 after a long battle with mental health.

“I really had to do this for my missus, for my son because they need me,” said Ospreay, who said there was nothing but “wonderful things to say” about what WWE did offer him. “There is no disrespect toward them [WWE] at all. I admire anyone who can do it. … After everything, I don’t want to move her anywhere I want her to feel safe and I want her to feel looked after.”

On most weeks Ospreay is away from home Tuesday through Thursday — catching red-eye flights if he can to leave later and get home earlier when possible.

“That’s so rare to find in wrestling,” he said. “You hear all the stories in wrestling that all the guys used to be on the road having not seen their kids and not having an impact or influence in their life and I get to have that.”

When Ospreay came on board, he was a member of the heel Don Callis Family faction but has broken away in the storyline and become one of AEW’s more beloved babyfaces.

He believes it starts with the fans seeing how enthusiastic he is about joining and wanting to raise AEW up.

While he believes untapped parts of his character could fuel a future heel run, right now he’s enjoyed being the good guy.

“I’ve always been a very happy, chappy person,” Ospreay said. “I do have a little bit of an a–hole side of me, but I’m very much an easy person to get along with. Going into that role I feel like I was the right guy to come in at the right time.”

But the move from wrestling in Japan where much of the storytelling is done in the ring to working weekly television in the U.S. came with challenges. Promos in front of a live audience are fairly new to Ospreay.

“I still very much struggle with it,” Ospreay said.

It’s only made harder by Ospreay dealing with the challenges that come from ADHD, dyslexia, and autism. He generally struggles to make eye contact with people and his mind can race off in different directions. He also said he never has been known for his grammar and punctuation.

“I can barely speak English basically,” Ospreay said. “It’s been a learning experience, but I feel like I’m not sucking at it. I think I’m doing OK. I think I’m getting by. I feel like it’s good to show people that I am learning these tricks and these trades. I’m happy to be vulnerable and open in those moments and say, ‘Look, I know I’m not the best at this.’ I’ve never been trained to do this. I’ve never been trained to do this part of the job. They’re throwing me in the deep water and I’m swimming somehow.”

His approach he said is to “speak and hope for the best.”

He does have some lines and a destination he wants to arrive at prepared but tries to leave things as organic as possible when verbally sparring with an opponent — trying to listen and react.

“There is a part of me that every time I do make a grammar mistake or I’m not focusing, it’s almost endearing at this point because I don’t know what’s going on half the time,” Ospreay said.

AEW commentator and former Ring of Honor star Nigel McGuinness noted that in the past when talent struggled with promos, promotions might have limited them or put a manager with them, but Ospreay has found a way to make it work by being himself.

“He’s got his own natural voice,” McGuiness said. “He doesn’t try to be something that he’s not and that comes through as being authentic and genuine. Bryan Danielson is someone who is arguably at a similar sort of experience with promos. It didn’t come naturally to him but by being authentic he’s been able to connect with an audience. That’s not to say Will can’t improve in promos. Of course he can. The fact that he’s aware of that speaks well to him.”

If his promos come off rough around the edges sometimes, Ospreay more than makes up for it with his athleticism, smooth continuous counters and explosive strikes in the ring. He said he takes his “sweet ass time” during a match and that can look fast.

“Not only can he do things that most people can’t, he can do them with ease as well,” McGuiness said.

None of Ospreay’s promo challenges affect him wrestling. When his brain may deviate, it usually produces something — especially recently he said — in a match that will “ride the crowd to a bigger wave.’

All of that was on display in his match with Danielson at Dynasty and AEW world champion Swerve Strickland at Forbidden Door along with his weekly television matches.

“He’s a huge, huge massive star,” McGuinness said of Ospreay. “People know when you get a Will Ospreay match it’s gonna set the place on fire. I guarantee a lot of people are gonna lose their proverbial s–t when he comes out. I guarantee he and MJF are gonna try to steal the show.”

Few may be a more perfect foil for Ospreay.

The Long Island native is now playing the heel “American Hero” — including using a flag with his face as the stars — and changing the title design and name from the International championship to the American championship should tick off the 50,000 fans at Wembley.

“MJF is by his own admission, controversial. He’s gregarious, says what he thinks and often times saying what he thinks will upset people,” said McGuiness, also a part-time magician performing in Fulham on Friday. “Will is kind of the opposite. He’s a likable fellow from Essex and he’s just ecstatic to have had the incredible career that he had.”

MJF has been one of the major faces of AEW — especially the past two years — and believes he’s the best wrestler in the world. Ospreay is the beloved free-agent signing who can also claim that title.

“There is definitely an underlying layer of jealousy behind Max,” Ospreay said. There is something within him that feels threatened by me. I don’t blame him. The guys got so many accolades from wrestling and being a part of AEW, but you’ve gotten them all while I haven’t been there and now that I am here it’s kind of put up for shut up. I feel like we’ve been a good Batman and good Joker for one another.”

There were reports last week about a backstage argument between MJF and Britt Baker over comments the former AEW women’s world champion made about him, and Ospreay reportedly spoke with Baker at one point during the whole situation.

Ospreay didn’t want to comment specifically about the incident because he said he did not know exactly what had been reported. In general, he called it “the most completely blown out of proportion thing I ever seen in my entire life.”

‘I am just trying to bring people together as a team,” he said. “That’s all I can say. I’m fully aware people don’t like each other backstage. I know there are people backstage that I don’t like. My whole thing is that going forward we all need to be a team. We all need to look after one another.”

Ospreay said even before officially signing with AEW, which he hopes to take to Ireland, Australia and Chile, he was happy working with the company when he was popping in with New Japan and his belief that it would translate if it was full-time have proved correct for him. There hasn’t been a down moment for him.

“He [Khan] has so much of my admiration and respect that I’m willing to go the distance and fit any mold he needs me to be for AEW’s growth and success,” Ospreay said.

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That continues Sunday at Wembley Stadium against MJF. Ospreay, who said AEW has a different stage setup than last year that further showcases the wrestlers, is extremely curious how his hometown fans will react to MJF and have kept up with their story.

“Being back at Wembley Stadium, it’s always a weird thing to flipping say out loud, not arena, stadium, bro,” Ospreay said. “The fact that I get to do it all over again, I can not tell you how blessed I am.

 

[Chairman Jay]

He's doing more for the company in the time he's been here than most who have left . Glad to read such an impressive wrestler and dad being the beacon of light we've needed at AEW at this moment in time. OOOO Ospreay!! Now let's see him gets another crowning moment in front t of home fans as he goes from strength to strength in his illustrious career.