Highlights
- Will Ospreay chose AEW over WWE due to wanting to stay in the UK and prioritizing family and stability in his personal life.
- AEW offered Ospreay more trust and respect compared to WWE, making it the right option for him both professionally and personally.
- Ospreay's decision to join AEW already proving to be successful, with exciting match-ups on the horizon and a positive reception from fans.
At the age of 30, Will Ospreay is already a wrestling legend and arguably the best in the world at the moment. After a decade plus on the independent scene, including a great run in New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he was an IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, Ospray became a free agent with a choice to make. WWE and AEW both wanted his services, and as we now know, he chose All Elite Wrestling. In an interview with AEW co-worker Chris Jericho on his Talk Is Jericho podcast, Will Ospreay revealed why he chose to join AEW over WWE. He said:
"Main thing was, I wanted to be in the UK. I know I'm not going to be exactly comfortable moving to another country. I moved to Japan in 2019, as much as I loved it, it wasn't home. I entered a new relationship with my new Mrs. who wrestles under the name Alex Windsor, I have a stepson now, she just started school. If you know her story and everything she's been through, the UK scene kind of knows it, but she lost her husband, and having to pick herself up from that and having to be a mom, a single mom, to losing her husband, it's going to have some tolls on you, so she needs to be around family and friends in her social circle. I couldn't bear the thought of moving her away from all of that and having her own on her own again. For me, the main priority was to stay in the UK, but also wanting to up the wrestling because I had done everything in New Japan. I completed it. The viable option was where was I happy and what was I doing? Every time I came (to AEW), Tony [Tony Khan] has given me nothing but trust and respect the moment I came in here. It was the right decision for me at this time. I'm happy here and looking forward to the challenges. It's the right decision." (h/t Fightful )
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Will Ospreay admitted that he did talk to WWE, but explained why they weren't a viable option for him, saying:
"It was night and day. Even in differences of 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 always, you can go be a superstar in WWE and famous, but it's not as good of pay and it's not as kind of a schedule. I respect everyone there doing it, but it's not for me."
It's hard to argue that he didn't make the right choice. It was obviously what was best for Will Ospreay's family, but it's what was best for him as a wrestler as well. While a dream match with Seth Rollins waited for Ospreay in WWE, the company's more mainstream, casual fans wouldn't have appreciated him as much as the fans of AEW do. His time in AEW is already a success, as Ospreay had a phenomenal match with Konosuke Takeshita at Revolution and has a huge dream match setup with Bryan Danielson for Dynasty.
