Why Will Ospreay Thinks AEW Will Eventually Be At The Top Of Wrestling Industry

Ever since AEW first went head-to-head with "WWE NXT" and became the second-biggest American pro wrestling promotion, it's been compared to WCW. Additionally, Tony Khan has admitted to being a fan of WCW and has had several misunderstandings with former WCW President, Eric Bischoff, who hasn't always been happy about the comparisons. Khan has been open about AEW's status as a "challenger brand."

Since WCW, there hasn't been another promotion that has tried to take WWE head on, like AEW, and while the difference between the promotions is still obvious, Ospreay doesn't believe that'll be the case for too long. "I feel like it's gonna take time, it's gonna be a slow, slow process, but one of these days, man, we are gonna be on top!" he proclaimed during an interview on "The JJRBTS." "And it's not just me, it's Swerve, it's Hangman, it's Moxley, it's MJF, it's the Hurt Syndicate; we're all firing on all cylinders and we're all, like, creating this animal right now, and at one point we are gonna be undeniable that we are the flipping best, bruv."

Ospreay also admitted to distancing himself from wrestling after WCW was bought and that he felt nothing while watching wrestling. "Every now and again you'd, mate, you'd get someone like Eddie Guerrero — which I, I loved him and Edge, Randy Orton — I used to love those guys but after a while it was just rinse, cycle, repeat," he recalled; Ospreay added that seeing TNA's six-sided ring as a teenager was the thing that got him back into wrestling because of how different it was.

Will Ospreay has been open about his admiration of AJ Styles and Samoa Joe in the past, noting that the two veterans inspired him to follow them into wrestling but also adding that he loved Japanese wrestling, specifically wrestlers like the late original Hayabusa. "I liked the counter-culture stuff. I don't like going for the big thing, I like going for the underdog, and I think that's why I signed with AEW in the first place because they are the underdog," he said. "I respect WWE and what they're doing, they're filling houses, they are doing so well, but like, bell to bell? You are not going to find better wrestling than AEW."

Additionally, Ospreay agreed with the host of the podcast that the AEW fanbase is similar to the WCW fanbase once was. "Yeah man! It's respectable for the art, man, I feel like they understand the artform behind it and how hard it is, and they appreciate it, so they allow their voices to be heard and are supporting us," he added.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "The JJRBTS" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.