Will Ospreay says he hasn’t felt the need to be AEW’s “five-star guy” throughout 2026, explaining that his focus has increasingly shifted toward storytelling rather than trying to produce a critically acclaimed match every time he steps into the ring.
Ospreay has now accumulated 57 matches rated five stars or higher by longtime wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer. That number stood at 47 at the beginning of last year and 25 when Ospreay previously appeared on Insight with Chris Van Vliet in 2023.
Asked whether that reputation creates pressure to continually reach the same standard, Ospreay said his role has been different this year. “I feel like a lot of this year I haven’t needed to be the five-star guy. I’ve needed to be a little bit of a storyteller guy, and then when it’s time for me to do the five stars, I bust it out,” Ospreay said.
Despite his record, Ospreay insisted he doesn’t construct matches with the intention of receiving a particular rating. “I don’t angle my matches towards trying to get a five-star, but I have an idea of what my version of a five-star match looks like,” he said.
For Ospreay, there isn’t a single formula. He pointed to a six-man tag team match in Dragon Gate as an example of a bout capable of reaching that level purely through its in-ring action without requiring an elaborate storyline beforehand. “You look at the Dragon Gate match, the six-man tag, where no one knew the story. It was action, but because of that, it was mind-blowing at the time,” he said. “It didn’t need the story behind it. The action was what a five-star match looks like.”
Ospreay explained that his approach to constructing matches is largely reactive, considering what the story requires and anticipating how the audience might respond. “The way I map it out is I feel what the story needs for it. Like, if we did this, what are the crowd doing? And then if the crowd are doing this, all right, let’s swerve them this way,” Ospreay said. “It’s so hard for me to explain without completely ripping the curtain off. It’s just how I plot matches together.”
His preference for a faster pace, Ospreay added, is partly connected to his ADHD. “I love action. I hate sitting around too long,” he said. “It’s the ADHD in me, and I know it is.”
Ospreay also discussed the demanding travel schedule involved in continuing to live in England while working for AEW in the United States. On the day of the interview, he had taken a 10-hour flight from England to Texas and was due to return home after spending roughly 10 hours in the U.S. “I got on a flight, 10 hours. The stewardesses were saying like, you conked out, and I was like, yeah, you don’t know the week I had, love,” Ospreay said.
Despite the frequent transatlantic journeys, Ospreay said establishing a routine has made the schedule manageable. “Once you get into a routine with it, I find it very easy. You just got to time your sleeps a little bit,” he said. “And life is noise. When I’m at home with a seven-year-old, it’s noise. It’s constant. He’s got so much energy about him. And then when I’m here, although I’m having the most fun, it is stressful, because you’re wanting to put out the best product physically possible. So it’s just noise constantly.”
For Ospreay, the flight itself can actually provide some rare quiet time. “When I’m on that airplane for like eight hours, I’m fine with it. It’s just headphones on, got to listen to a bit of Oasis, and I’ll be fine,” Ospreay said.
He also downplayed the physical effects of the flights in his particular circumstances, noting that he is generally able to travel comfortably alongside his wife. “I do see what everyone says about the wear and tear on the body. But a lot of the time my legs are up, I’m laying down, I’m very comfortable. I’m next to my wife a lot of the time,” he said. “We’re playing Mario Kart. The actual Mario Kart, not the one I said on a promo. Just actual Mario Kart, playing with one another.”
Weather disruptions are a bigger concern. Ospreay said he monitors forecasts and will change his travel arrangements when necessary, crediting Bryce, who handles his travel, for accommodating his frequent requests. “I put him under so much stress, because I will say to him all the time, hey, can you just change this flight, I want to go here now instead,” Ospreay said. “I need to get him a little gift soon.”
Ospreay said he has never had an issue that prevented him from reaching a show, although his first day working for AEW included an unfortunate travel mishap. “I’ve had one where I’ve come over, and they’ve lost my bags. That was actually my first day at work, which is hilarious,” he said.
When it was suggested that regular transatlantic travel would leave most people exhausted for days, Ospreay conceded that he’s essentially learned to embrace that feeling. “Yes, I’m just constantly wrecked. I like it,” he said.
Ospreay currently holds the AEW World Championship and is scheduled to defend the title against Jon Moxley at AEW All Out on September 26.
