Will Ospreay, your weird mate down the pub.
Will Ospreay recently addressed his adjustment to AEW programming and his trepidation concerning promos. Speaking with Inside The Ropes, "Billy GOAT" spoke about how his ADHD diagnosis and his "pub mate" aura help him counteract the nerves and give him an edge of unique charisma.
“I’m always nervous about promos, and that goes back to years ago, when I found out that I had ADHD. I’ve always really struggled with eye contact, and I’ve struggled with stringing sentences together. So then when you sign up for American TV, that’s 60% of the job," he said. "You’ve got to be able to talk people into the building and you’ve got to have that type of unique charisma. I guess it goes in my favour because I don’t sound like everybody. I don’t sound like the Yanks. I think the main thing is I’m just happy to be here and I just treat all the audience like they’re my mate. I’m your weird mate down the pub.
“So I feel like because I have that aura, I get away with a little bit more. I slipped up on one of my lines that I said in the week before my match with Max and I kicked myself about it," he added. "I’d rather be honest with people and say, you know what, no, I slipped up on a line but I worked twice as hard next time because, once again, I’m not used to this and I’ve always struggled with this. I’m not perfect when it comes to promos. In fact, I wouldn’t even put me in the top 10 when it comes to promos."
Overall, Will Ospreay believes the key to his connection with the audience is transparency and being real when he does make a mistake.
"I’m learning a whole new thing. It is still six months into me being here. I’m still getting used to this. If people want to throw shade my way because of that, they’ve never been in my shoes, they don’t understand what’s in my brain. For me, it’s all about being vulnerable, honest, and open, and I think that’s what connects people with me a little bit more, the fact that I do show my mistakes.”
Ospreay will next team with Kyle Fletcher to take on Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson at AEW Grand Slam for the AEW World Tag Team Titles.
After that, he'll once again square off with Ricochet in a match for the AEW International Title on the October 2 AEW Dynamite.
