Will Ospreay Opens Up About Phone Call With AJ Styles Prior to AEW Signing
Styles gave Ospreay advice during his career crossroads in 2023.
Will Ospreay found himself at a career crossroads in 2023. It had become well documented that the Aerial Assassin's New Japan Pro Wrestling contract was due up in early 2024, and every major wrestling company under the sun expressed interest in bringing him in. AEW President Tony Khan made signing Ospreay a massive priority, as he was able to get him on the books in November 2023, three months before he would have hit free agency thanks to NJPW giving Ospreay its blessing to sign early. Before this, while Ospreay was pondering about his future, he received a phone call from the wrestler he credits as being his inspiration to get into the business: AJ Styles.
"I was blown away by it. He was so complimentary of what I've been doing," Ospreay told ComicBook. "That honestly means so much to me that he would just take time out of his day. He didn't need to do it. He could just let it be a little Twitter message or whatever. I'll always feel like its a moment in time where a guy that, I still say to this day is my hero, phoned me up in the middle of Japan just to chat with me, just to talk with me, and just to give me some advice."
Ospreay has long proclaimed himself to be a "TNA kid," having grown up watching high-flyers in the X-Division. The talent he marveled at the most was Styles. Ospreay's relationship with Styles evolved from fan to friend once he started wrestling, and the two would even get the chance to compete against one another in 2015.
During that call, Styles did make an effort to throw WWE feelers Ospreay's way.
"I guess just when you hear stuff through the grapevine, he wanted to fly the flag for his company," Ospreay continued. "The fact that he just kept an eye on it and just saw that there was an opportunity to potentially bring me over to his company. It didn't work out and it worked out amazing for me.
"I can't tell you enough how much I've admired that guy's work and I've so much respect for him, just how he's completely changed from the guy that I used to watch wrestle when he was in TNA, how he's completely adapted. He's still AJ Styles to this day, man."
Ospreay challenges AEW International Champion Roderick Strong for his title this Sunday, May 26th at AEW Double or Nothing.
