One of AEW’s newest arrivals has opened up on why he decided to join the promotion.
Long-time NJPW star Will Ospreay recently reflected on his AEW signing when he spoke with Chris Jericho on the “Talk Is Jericho” podcast. He said that when he was deciding his next path as a wrestler, he thought what AEW offered worked better than the setup he would have with WWE.
“It was night and day,” said Ospreay, when comparing the discussions he had with AEW and WWE. “Even differences in what they were offering and what AEW was offering, AEW was way better. The scheduling, everything about AEW was completely the right option for me. It was like, you can go be a superstar in the WWE and famous, but it’s not as good a pay [and] it’s not as kind of a schedule. I respect everyone there doing it, but it’s not for me.”
Ospreay explained to Jericho that he currently lives in the U.K. and travels back home in between TV appearances for AEW. Being able to live in the U.K. is a priority for the decorated 30-year-old wrestler, allowing him to spend time with his partner Alex Windsor and his stepson. While working with NJPW, Ospreay would be in Japan for large chunks of time while fulfilling bookings on a tour.
Ospreay had sporadically made AEW appearances in recent years while still working for NJPW, appearing 11 times from 2022 to 2023. This included high-profile singles matches against Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho.
“The Aerial Assassin” said that his previous time in AEW was an influence on why he decided to sign with the promotion.
“Every time I came here [AEW], Tony [Khan] has given me nothing but trust and respect the moment I came in here,” Ospreay said. “It was the right decision for me at this time. I’m happy here, I’m looking forward to the challenges, it’s the right decision.”
Ospreay made his official AEW debut earlier this month at Revolution, going 21 minutes for a win against Konosuke Takeshita. He then faced another Don Callis family member on last week’s episode of Dynamite, beating Kyle Fletcher in the main event.
