Will Ospreay talks about his work with NJPW and why he chose the Japanese promotion over WWE.
This was one of the many topics for the former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion’s recent conversation with Chris Van Vilet. Ospreay would be asked about his desire to compete at WrestleMania, something he says enticed him but wasn’t a selling point for his career choice. He explains that WWE, TNA, and NJPW were all making offers to him at the same time and that he chose NJPW because it allowed him to travel home, which was the biggest selling point for him.
Not like in that sense of this but like, of course I would love to wrestle in front of 80,000 people who wouldn’t want to wrestle? But like, in the same sense of, I’m not going to lose sleep if I never do it. But you know what I mean? Like I never wanted to get to this level of fame with wrestling. I just enjoyed doing it on the weekends. And New Japan offers me a lot of money, and I was just like Whoa, I can make money from this. Here’s the thing I told you this, but like WWE, TNA and New Japan were on the table at the same time. And like the selling point in New Japan was that I get to come home. WWE, I have to move there, TNA, most likely the same thing and it wasn’t guaranteed money. In New Japan, I get to come home. And I’m a real home guy. So, like the fact that I’ve got to come home was like, incredible.
Ospreay has become know for putting on incredible matchups no matter where he wrestles. The Aerial Assassin is a darling of the Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer, who has awarded Ospreay several Five-Stars for some of the incredible contests he’s put on. When asked about the ratings Ospreay states that he doesn’t make any money off it but does take pride in competing at such a high level.
Okay, so this is, I always have an argument, they don’t matter in terms of my financial game. Okay, so in my life, they don’t matter. I’m not going to make any money on it. However, when contracts come up, and I become a free agent, who’s not going to want the kid that works hard and puts on these phenomenal matches everybody talks about? So, like, that’s where we can always argue. So, like one of my friends would be like, I don’t know, like name a wrestler now, like I don’t [want to] bury anyone, I really don’t, but like it’s a case of like if I come up against somebody else. I don’t know, like the current format like I just don’t, I really don’t know. But it just for me like in terms of if that does ever become available and I am on the market who’s not going to want someone that’s going to as work hard and put on banging matches.
Elsewhere in the interview, Ospreay spoke about his current status with NJPW and how feels like he’ll remain with the promotion going forward. You can read about that here.