AEW's Will Ospreay Recalls Wrestling In 'Filthy Nightclubs' During His UK Indie Days

Will Ospreay, a lynchpin in AEW, has ascended to the upper echelons of the promotion with his electrifying in-ring style and captivating persona. His meteoric rise to stardom, however, is a journey fraught with humble beginnings and gritty determination.

In a candid conversation on "Close Up with Renee Paquette," Ospreay peeled back the layers of his formative years, offering a raw glimpse into the UK independent wrestling scene that forged his fighting spirit.

"When I used to wrestle on the indies ... it wouldn't be that much money, but I would work from Monday to Friday. I'd be on like building sites," Ospreay said. "It's funny, but I'm just a mastic man. So I basically [did] all your bathrooms, all your windows. You know the rubber seal? [I] used to do that. I'll be honest with you, I was so bad at it. But like, it was me uncle that gave me the job, but deep down he was just mortified and embarrassed of me constantly."

Ospreay's narrative veered into the eclectic array of venues that served as his proving grounds.

"I've worked Wales in like church halls. I was actually here last year, doing some independents in, like, this filthy, filthy nightclub," recalled the AEW star. "I wrestled in a social club right, where you're like shooting people off the ropes and then you're ducking someone's clothesline, but also there's a projection screen right here, so you have to duck your head down as well. But it's home, man."

These vignettes of Ospreay's journey through the gauntlet of UK independent wrestling offer a poignant contrast to his current status in AEW where he is the AEW International Champion.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Close Up with Renee Paquette" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for transcription.