Earlier this year, Will Ospreay made his return to AEW after undergoing surgery on his neck that took him out of action in the middle of 2025. He’s now back in the ring and mixing it up with names such as Jon Moxley. Two years into his run as an AEW performer, Ospreay recognizes that he’s become a key figure in the promotion, but he looks to remain humble.

“There’s a little bit of pressure,” Ospreay said to Forbes. “That first night I came into AEW as a full-time wrestler, I feel like I gave people a taste of what I could do from my time in New Japan and doing the crossover shows. I feel like I made a good impression. I didn’t think of myself in that top-style bracket, though, because if you looked at the field, I’d see guys like Bryan Danielson, Eddie Kingston, Moxley, all these guys who are f****** top-level talents, and I still feel like I’m climbing those rungs and climbing those ladders.”

One way that he keeps his ego in check is by acknowledging those who paved the way, like the wrestlers he mentioned. At the same time, Ospreay didn’t bother denying his desire to reach the pinnacle in AEW, stating that he wants to learn from people like Danielson and Moxley so that he can become one of the greats. He just doesn’t want to stab anyone in the back while doing it, which led to Ospreay discussing the team mentality that he learned in New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

“We all had to pull in the same direction because if we didn’t, we were going to stagnate, slow down, and things were going to happen that would deter people from watching us.”

When Ospreay arrived in AEW, he said he made an effort to use that mentality to help change the public perception of the company at a time when it was struggling.