Roderick Strong says it's the perfect time for him to face Will Ospreay.
At AEW Dynasty, Roderick Strong defeated Orange Cassidy to win the AEW International Championship. He will defend the title against Will Ospreay, who has been undefeated since he joined AEW in March, at AEW Double or Nothing. Some fans have viewed Strong as the underdog, but the champion doesn't look at it that way.
Speaking on AEW Unrestricted, Roderick Strong was asked to describe how he was feeling heading into the bout.
“I feel great. I feel ready. This is the perfect time for this match to happen. This is something that I need personally, but also I think Will does as well. I think because of the magnitude of this pay-per-view and all of the eyes that will be on it, I think it’s a great opportunity to show the world once again exactly who I am and remind everybody because I think sometimes they forget. So the bigger the stage, the better the opportunity for me," Strong said.
Strong was also asked about how he was handling the pressure of facing Ospreay, someone who has competed in a number of renowned matches. The champion noted that AEW Double or Nothing was an opportunity for Ospreay to figure himself out. Strong then stated that he thought that he was going to surprise a lot of people.
“He’s had those [great] matches, but none of them have been against me yet. So I think it’s an opportunity for him to figure himself out. He can be the greatest of all time in his head, and the people can applaud him as much they want, but when he gets in there with me, it’s a whole different experience, and he’s gonna have to dig deep and see what he’s really all about. I think I’ve been handling it as well as I possibly can, and I’ve been reminding every possible time that I can that he is a child, and children make mistakes, especially when the pressure is high. I think at Double or Nothing, there’s an expectation of him to wipe the floor with me, run right through me, and I think I’m gonna surprise a lot of people, and I’m gonna put him in a very vulnerable situation that I don’t think he get out of," Strong said.
During the interview, Roderick Strong discussed winning the AEW International Championship. Check out his comments here.
Fightful will have live coverage of AEW Double or Nothing as it airs on May 26, as well as a post-show podcast on our YouTube channel.
If you use the above quotes, please credit the original source and link back to Fightful with an h/t for the transcription.
