As we get ready for AEW to debut their latest big free agent acquisition on Dynamite tonight (Mar. 13), Chris Jericho dropped an interview with another of the big fish Tony Khan’s landed lately — Will Ospreay.
During his appearance on Talk is Jericho, Ospreay confirmed that he talked with WWE after deciding to leave New Japan Pro-Wrestling. It doesn’t sound like there was ever much debate about which way the 30 year old Englishman was going to go, however.
“It was night and day even in differences of what they [WWE] were offering and what AEW was offering, AEW was way better, like the scheduling, like everything about AEW was completely the right option for me.
“It was almost kind of like, 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 just not for me.”
A lot of that had to do with the ability to continue living in the United Kingdom, and Ospreay talked about why that’s so important for the family he’s started with his wife, independent wrestler Alex Windsor:
“We have a stepson now, or she has a son, I have a stepson now, and he just started school.
“If you know her [Windsor’s] story and anything that she’s been through… the UK scene kind of knows it but she lost her husband [wrestler Ryan Smile, who died in 2020]. 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, [we] need to be around her family, need to be around her friends and her social circle.
“I couldn’t bare the thought of moving her away from all that and having her on her own again. So for me the main priortity was to stay in the UK but to also… I want to up the wrestling now because I’d done everything in New Japan, like I completed it.
“The viable option was where was I happy and what was I doing and every time I came here Tony has given me nothing but trust and respect the moment I came in here. It was the right decision for me like at this time. So, I’m happy here and I’m looking forward to the challenges. It’s the right decision.”
He also explained how he’ll handle the transatlantic commute:
“For example, if [there’s] a PPV, there’s no point in me going home. So, Dynamite Wednesday I’ll stay, maybe there’s a Collision on the Saturday, I’ll stay for that, then PPV Sunday and I’ll stay for the next Dynamite and then I’ll go home then.
“I have no problems staying in hotels, that’s what I’d do when I was over in Japan. Worst case scenario, I can go over to [fellow AEW wrestlers] Kyle [Fletcher] and Skye [Blue]’s. They owe me, they lived at my house back in 2021 so I’ll just stay with them.”
You can listen to the entire Will Ospreay episode of Talk is Jericho here.
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