Triple H reportedly ‘didn’t realise’ that Will Ospreay had the full package.
Will Ospreay is undoubtedly one of the best wrestlers in the world, and, as such, he was highly sought after when it became clear that he’d leave NJPW upon the expiry of his contract. AEW and WWE were believed to be battling over his signature, but, in the end, it was Tony Khan and All Elite Wrestling who captured the former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion.
Now, per Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, the belief is that some in WWE think Triple H didn’t realise that Will Ospreay had the ability to connect with an audience outside of his immense in-ring skill.
“I just think that if Paul Levesque is watching this, he’s going like, ‘Holy fuck’. They know he’s a good wrestler, but I don’t think they know that he’s the charismatic person and talker and can get over. Keep in mind, this is his…yeah he did a couple matches before and he certainly has a rep with the hardcore fans because he’s the best wrestler in the world. But he was in there in front of a lot of fans that were probably not regular AEW fans, including many that probably came to see Mercedes, and that guy was over like crazy after literally 2 matches on this run. And granted they were incredible matches, but it’s still 2 matches, he started just a couple weeks ago — and he’s getting this kind of reaction. I know people in WWE when this was going down – it was becoming very clear he was going to AEW and not WWE, and they (WWE) offered a lot less money. I know people there were going like, ‘He (Triple H) didn’t realise’. They knew, but he just didn’t realise. He just thought, ‘Ah, he’s one of these great workers’.”
-Dave Meltzer
Despite both companies being in for him, Will recently said that WWE wasn’t for him, prioritising living in the UK and staying close to family as factors determining where he would sign.
Ospreay has made a blistering start to his AEW career, first defeating Konosuke Takeshita at Revolution on March 3 and then getting a victory over Kyle Fletcher on the following Dynamite. Next, he is set to take on Bryan Danielson at AEW Dynasty on April 21.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on Will Ospreay as soon as we hear more.
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