Will Ospreay recently appeared as a guest on the popular INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet podcast for an in-depth interview to promote this Sunday’s AEW Revolution 2025 pay-per-view at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA., where he is scheduled to square off against former friend turned bitter rival Kyle Fletcher in a Steel Cage match.
During the discussion, “The Aerial Assassin” spoke about his AEW All In dream match, if he thinks he’s the best wrestler in the world, a very important conversation he had with Chris Jericho that led to many changes, as well as his thoughts on the subject of retirement at this stage in his career.
Featured below are some of the highlights from the interview sent to us directly by Chris Van Vliet where Will Ospreay touches on these topics with his thoughts.
On his AEW All In dream match: “I want to be the main event. I want it. The reason why I want it is because I think they trust me, and I think the fans trust me with what the presentation and what the look of AEW should be. I think that says a lot because I’ve never had that trust. Even when I had it in Japan, it wasn’t like they would give me Kobe and Osaka, those type of shows where there’s 4,000 or 5,000 people, that’s something that we can draw in. But ever since I’ve walked in here I’ve come in with a great attitude of my whole mission is to build a team. I feel like whatever was going on in AEW before I got there I’ve helped out with trying to get everyone on the same page. It’s hard for me to put into words sometimes, but the only thing that I can say is I think the audience trusts me, and I won’t break that trust.”
On if he thinks he is the best wrestler in the world: “I’m confident in my abilities, and I’m confident with my audience. Does that make me the best? I don’t know. Because I feel like the best is now so widely spread. Are you the guy that draws the most? Are you the guy that shifts the most merch? Are you best bell to bell?”
On the conversation with Chris Jericho about slowing down: “Yeah, he called me up. I’d done something stupid. I f*cked my neck up back in 2018 and I’ve never been the same since then. It was against Marty. We did a Spanish Fly and my f*cking head at the apron, but my neck contorted underneath me and I just felt everything like a shot go down my arm. It was horrendous and I’ve never been the same since. But then the month after me and Kushida were wrestling, and we did a DDT off the apron to the floor and I was fine. I was absolutely fine. I controlled my body on the landing, but it looked horrendous. Jericho got on the phone to me. He was just like, ‘Hey, look, please don’t die. You gotta look after yourself, pick your bumps. You don’t need to be doing that type of stuff all the time.’ And that hit and I appreciated it, because especially at that time Jericho only would pop over to New Japan every now and again. So the fact that he took his time out to be like, ‘Hey look, Rocky gave me your number. I want to have a chat, let’s talk.’ He genuinely gives a f*ck. Every time I’ve been around Chris he’s always giving me great advice. Even being here, there’s promo things that I would do, and he went, ‘Oh, who told you to do that?’ I’d say this person told me and he went, ‘Don’t do that because of this reason.’ And when he explains it to me it’s yeah, of course. So, he’s been a real good hand to have backstage. And anytime I go, What do you think of this? He’s great in his honesty.”
On if it has made him slow down: “I mean, yeah, for sure. Because I want people to digest what they’re seeing, because I still do those stupid bumps like the tombstone off the apron on the stairs. That was kind of silly. Yeah, looked great and everyone reacted, which it happens. But I also now plan those spots where I go, and this is where everyone f*cking complains about AEW. I do it because, personally it’s like I just want to do it. I’m not f*cking kicking out and firing up and sh*t like that. I’m f*cking rolling my shoulder off and if people are popping off about it, sweet.”
On how much longer he intends to wrestle: “I don’t like thinking of it. I think I will one day just disappear. I will just go, Ah, this is me. I won’t have anything really. [You won’t have a final match?] Oh no, of course I will. But then that was the day I will grab the microphone on live TV and say the C word, and then just drop the mic, ruin this and then I’ll just go be a postman somewhere. Like that big Sting retirement where everyone’s coming out and like cupping their hands, tears in their eyes, and I just grab the microphone and go ‘C*nt!’ That’s the way I want to go out.”
