Will Ospreay Calls WWE Star His Favorite Wrestler In The World

Published: Apr 14, 2025 by Dave Adamson | Last Updated: Apr 14, 2025 by Dave Adamson

Dave has been a website writer for WrestleTalk since October 2022, having previously written for Den of Geek, among a number of wrestling, movie and television-related sites. Dave has been around the independent wrestling scene for more than a decade, including behind-the-scenes.

AEW/WWE

AEW’s Will Ospreay has named the current WWE star that he considers his favorite and set out his goals to fulfil his aspirations.

Signing with AEW in November 2023, Ospreay has since revealed that he had talks with WWE before putting pen to paper for Tony Khan.

The two-time AEW International Champion has now revealed his favorite wrestler in the world is on the WWE roster.

Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Will Ospreay revealed that AJ Styles inspired him the most in his own wrestling career, saying:

“My favorite wrestler in the world is AJ Styles, right? I was a big TNA guy, huge TNA guy, loved the six-sided ring.”

Ospreay would go on to reveal that he wants to face a current AEW name with a connection to AJ Styles, stating:

“And there’s one person in AEW who has a connection with AJ … I want to face the guys that AJ faced – Samoa Joe.

“I’ve never got in the ring with him, and I feel like that’s the guy that’s gonna push me not to think of my aerial offense, but to think about standing my ground and throwing bombs with him.”

Revealing his rationale behind wanting to face a name that made AJ Styles, Will Ospreay went on to explain:

“I feel like if you asked AJ, he performed at his best against Joe. Not only because they were best mates, but he pushed him in a physical sense.

“For me to become anywhere near the athlete that AJ was, I need to face the guys that made him.”

Samoa Joe and AJ Styles crossed paths many times in TNA Wrestling and would take their rivalry to WWE.

Styles signed with WWE on January 20, 2016, having departed NJPW earlier that month and mere months before Ospreay would sign with the Japanese promotion.

Samoa Joe would leave WWE in January 2022, returning to Ring of Honor in April that year before having his AEW debut in April of that year.

Currently, Samoa Joe teams with Hook and Katsuyori Shibata as The Opps in AEW.

Transcript from Wrestling Inc.