Bully Ray Explains Why AEW's Will Ospreay Is Connecting With Fans

Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Will Ospreay proves night in and night out that he is on an untouchable tier. Unfortunately, his former allies, Kyle Fletcher and Konosuke Takeshita, caught "The Billy G.O.A.T" off-guard at WrestleDream on October 12. Takeshita took advantage of Ospreay's emotional vulnerabilities to win the AEW International Title. This past Wednesday on "AEW Dynamite," The Don Callis Family did not receive a warm reception from the fans, which Bully Ray addressed. He assumes the crowd could not get behind this domineering alliance because Ospreay has won the crowd's connectivity, not only by his in-ring capabilities but also by the emotions he puts behind his words in his promos.

"[Will] Ospreay has...taken so many steps forward. He's come so far along in his ability to communicate with wrestling fans to get them emotionally invested in him. I've always been a fan of Will's athletic ability...But I never was that big of a fan of Will on the microphone," Bully Ray noted during "Busted Open After Dark." "He never gave me a real reason to care until he cut that promo on Kenny Omega before the Toyoko Dome show about two years ago."

Ray is referring to the promo from Ospreay and Omega's NJPW Wrestle Kindom 17 press conference before the former lost his IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship. In the promo, Ospreay addressed hardships and sacrifices he has made in his career compared to Omega's. In his mind, at the time, Ospreay felt that guys like him had to push the envelope harder to be recognized. Meanwhile, guys like Omega, who had a notoriously dominating career in Japan, never had to break a sweat to become a pinnacle icon, dismissing the hard labor many wrestlers face on their path toward greatness. This promo alone won Ray over on Ospreay's verbal storytelling capabilities.

At this point in his career, Will Ospreay's worth is growing higher and higher. Bully Ray agrees that since Ospreay signed with AEW, his path has grown exponentially, possibly making him the company's top babyface right now. If he can remain honed on his promos and give the fans a reason to care about what happens next between himself and The Don Callis Family or other future opponents, he'll always win the fans over.

"Ever since Will has gotten to AEW, I believe he's taken steps forward on the microphone. When he goes out there, the AEW fan base are as interested in what he has to say on the stick as they are about what he's doing in the ring...The people care about Will Ospreay, not about Will Ospreay's moves," Ray complimented.

Before his betrayal at AEW WrestleDream, Kyle Fletcher and Ospreay were closer than ever. This comes from their time together in New Japan as the United Empire from 2021 until 2023. Last month, both men had the opportunity to face The Young Bucks for their AEW World Tag Team Championships at "AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam," where they were defeated. The pieces towards Fletcher's disloyalty toward Ospreay came at the WrestleDream go-home show on "Dynamite: Title Tuesday," when "The Aerial Assassin" angrily announced his separation from The Don Callis Family. 

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.