Will Ospreay is willing to listen to criticism.
Five years into business, AEW has emerged as a challenger brand to WWE with three shows on cable television and consistent pay-per-view business in terms of buys and gates. As with any promotion or brand, growing pains are part of the process.
Speaking to Shakiel Mahjouri of CBS Sports, Will Ospreay was asked about the growing pains and potential improvements AEW could make.
"It's all fairly new to me. I do belive we've had this string of bad luck when it comes to criticism where the ratings come in and a lot of people live on that. Right now, we're in a rebuilding phase and they're always hard. I was discussing this with some of my friends a little while ago. Even as a wrestler, five years in, you do find yourself...you always hit a plateau. Whether that's within your character or ability or trying to get booked elsewhere, there is always that five-year growing pain. I think every company goes through it. If we were going to look back five years to what WWE was doing, it was low. The way that they're thriving right now, it's inspiring and is something to hit. 'Okay, you guys are doing that, we have to change the bar and see what we have to do to change things up.' I'm not one of these people who shy away from it. I enjoy criticism. Someone was criticizing the way I dress. I completely understand that's their flavor of a championship representative. If ever walk around my area of Essex, that is how people dress and the complete authenticity of how I look and how the people around my area talk. I do get it, but I live in a world where this is how people dress, act, and talk. I do love saying look at all the good we're doing. Look at all the killer matches we're doing. In the same sense, we do have to take the criticisms on board because that's how we're going to grow as a company," said Ospreay.
Elsewhere during the interview, Ospreay commented on Ricochet potentially joining AEW. You can find his full comments by clicking here.
Ospreay is set to challenge Swerve Strickland for the AEW World Title at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door.
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