Will Ospreay: "I've Just Never Been A WWE Guy..." (AEW News)
AEW's Will Ospreay has never been a fan of WWE.
Ahead of arguably the biggest match of his career, AEW's Will Ospreay sat down with Ariel Helwani to discuss a whole host of topics, including why he's never been a particular fan of WWE.
Appearing on the latest episode of The Ariel Helwani Show (via Fightful), the Aerial Assassin talked about his pride at headlining this weekend's All In from London's iconic Wembley Stadium.
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 Stadiu. 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.
As for his own pro wrestling fandom growing up, Ospreay was more a fan of TNA than WWE, something he's noted in previous years, which is why it was such a big deal for Will to work a match for TNA back in early 2024.
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 signed 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.
Of course, Will Ospreay will challenge Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship at All In this Sunday. And if you happen to be in the Wembley area for that hotly anticipated PPV, why not stop by for our WhatCulture Wrestling Live event, featuring all of our WhatCulture favourites, and taking place a few minutes away from Wembley Stadium.