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Whether you believe Tony Khan tends to overhype his “important announcement” shtick or not, it would be hard to find too many pro wrestling fans upset about his latest big reveal. When Khan promoted a “blockbuster” signing at AEW Full Gear, he delivered exactly that, revealing that Will Ospreay will be All Elite beginning next year.
(Perhaps not “All” Elite since he’ll still be able to work with New Japan Pro-Wrestling, but you get the idea.)
Universally considered to be in the discussion for best pro wrestler in the world today, the 30-year-old Ospreay possesses an unshakable confidence backed by his track record of putting on high quality matches with talent in NJPW, AEW and elsewhere. But he admitted in his recent interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated that things were different at Full Gear.
Far from the swagger fans have grown to expect form him, Ospreay said being revealed as the big signing filled him with self-doubt — and yes, even fear.
This was a new type of fear. It was completely different from wrestling. Even if you’ve never seen me wrestle, I’m confident that I can do something dazzling and make you remember me. But I couldn’t do that at Full Gear.
Ospreay explained that any butterflies he usually gets are washed away because he knows he can go when the bell rings. Things were different for his signing segment with Tony Schiavone, but it all worked out in the end.
As I was waiting, I asked myself, ‘What if people don’t know my entrance music, Elevated?’ Then, when Schiavone was talking, it went real quiet. That was scary. There was this murmur, then the music hit. That reception was truly overwhelming for me. People were genuinely happy to have me, and I felt it the moment the music hit.
Ospreay’s prior work with AEW probably has something to do with that, as he’s appeared on multiple episodes of Dynamite and Rampage as well as several pay-per-views. The chances of the majority of the crowd knowing his music are higher there than they would have been had he signed with WWE, for example.
Still, it’s sort of comforting to know that even someone as self-assured as Ospreay enjoys the kind of validation that comes with feeling wanted. Even if most of us can never dream of doing anything he does in the ring, that’s a feeling that is relatable to all.