AEW star Will Ospreay has quickly become one of the biggest names in the promotion and has gone on to impress many veterans of the industry as well, but as his loyal fans will undoubtedly recall Ospreay first made a name for himself in Japan. During an interview with "JJRBTS," he looked back at his career in NJPW and experiences with the roster.
"I spent eight years over in Japan, and like, they took a 22-year-old kid -and I say kid, like, I know a lot of people are like 'No, you're a man at 22' like no, man, I was still figuring stuff out," Ospreay recalled adding that he got the opportunity to be around all the Japanese wrestlers he looked up to. "I can't tell you enough of like, Okada, like looked after me man, like took 'the boy' and like really nurtured 'him.'" He further added that the roster and promotion were really patient with him, and that he felt like the adopted son.
However, Ospreay admitted that after achieving all he could in NJPW, he began keeping an eye out on AEW. "It was just kind of like this is the style of wrestling that I love, like I love this sports presentated style but it like also had flairs of like cinematic style," he added, noting how Chris Jericho and MJF's musical segment in 2021 was one of his favorite things in AEW at the time. "That's why I'm fascinated by it because there's an opportunity to be creative and play and do stuff that has never been done before."
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "JJRBTS" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
