AEW's Will Ospreay Explains How He Did Things Differently Than Kenny Omega In NJPW

AEW International Champion Kenny Omega got his big break during his massive NJPW tenure, establishing himself as one of the biggest pro wrestlers in the Japan wrestling scene, leading to the eventual formation of AEW alongside the Young Bucks, Cody Rhodes, and Tony Khan. Similarly to Omega, Will Ospreay also got recognition from his NJPW run, and during an appearance on "Busted Open Radio," he explained why his tenure is different than the "Cleaner's" despite both men sharing similar styles.

"I was mad that like [Omega] put me down quite a lot of the time, because Kenny gave me the whole shtick when he left New Japan being like, 'Look, you need to take the ball on your shoulders, they're gonna depend on you,' and I felt like I'd done that in New Japan and done it in a way Kenny never could do it," Ospreay claimed.

He then explained that the height of his run was during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in Japan, the audience was not allowed to react to anything, meaning he had to get himself over without notes from the audience. "I was struggling, man, like New Japan, at that time, it was like having your hands shackled and thrown into the bottom of the ocean," he added. "But somehow during those matches, I was able to breathe life back into New Japan."

Will Ospreay also credited others like Zack Sabre Jr. and El Phantasmo for helping NJPW during this era, and how they faced incredible odds to keep the promotion alive as well as their careers. "So, for Kenny to come in and to like 'A lot of people, like so many casuals came back to see Kenny Omega?'" he noted, explaining that Omega's criticisms came at a time where he and the rest of the NJPW wrestlers needed to vocalize their struggles keeping the promotion afloat.

"I wanted to say to him, like, 'Listen mate? While you was coddled over in AEW and you got to be in Jacksonville, where like, you guys got to do all the things you do, you got to socialize, we didn't,'" Ospreay added, noting how the wrestlers often starved during shows because restaurants closed while they were still in the ring.

Ospreay then explained his approach to wrestling and claimed that he tries to often listen to fans and criticism, because he ultimately enjoys finding out what his audience likes and how he can deliver. "I'm constantly listening, and I'm constantly trying to evolve because I don't know the answers," he explained. "The reality is I don't know the answers and I'm just learning on the job, and this is the first time I've been on weekly TV; it's been my first year on weekly TV."

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