10 Wrestlers You Didn’t Know Have Bad Reputations

2. Will Ospreay

Christian Cage
AEW

David Finlay once tweeted, in the direction of Flip Gordon, “You’re the dumbest person I know and I know Ospreay.”

Will Ospreay, who once asked on Facebook whether I Can’t Believe It’s Not Better is butter or not, might be a touch more savvy than his reputation suggests. You might have noticed, on AEW television and in recent media interviews, that Ospreay talks a lot about maturing in recent years. He could be genuinely contrite - he doesn’t seem sharp enough to mount a calculated public relations campaign - or…

Ospreay publicly shamed Sadie Gibbs for departing a tour of STARDOM through bereavement. He agreed to return to PROGRESS Wrestling in 2023 in order to team with Paul Robinson - who was accused, during the 2020 #SpeakingOut movement, of kissing a 16 year-old girl. Robinson in a statement admitted he and the girl, Jess, “got close”. Ospreay at a minimum was a gatekeeper with significant influence over the machinations of a rotten BritWres scene. 

The extent to which (if any) Ospreay was responsible for the blackballing of Pollyanna - who accused his old Swords of Essex partner Scott Wainwright of sexual assault - is a murky and ugly situation, the definitive truth of which will likely never be uncovered. 

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!