Chris Jericho Believes Top Independent Wrestling Star Will Eventually Sign With AEW

10/06/2021 06:21 pm EDT

AEW has picked up an impressive crop of new stars over the past few months, including CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Adam Cole, Malakai Black and Andrade El Idolo. But while speaking with Jen Eckhart on the REINVENTED podcast this week, former AEW World Champion Chris Jericho named another major star on wrestling independent scene that he believes will eventually make his way to the Jacksonville-based promotion — Will Ospreay. The New Japan Pro-Wrestling star has been a big name for years (he finally won the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship earlier this year), but has always refrained from signing any long-term deal with a US-based promotion. Jericho confirmed he spoke with Ospreay back when AEW first launched as a company. 

"I'd love to see Will in AEW. I actually called him way, way back when we were first starting out to see what kind of interest he had, and I think there's a lot of guys that want to work in Japan and spend time there," Jericho said (h/t Wrestling Inc.). "I know, because I was one of them. Been to Japan over 60 times now at this point in my career and I think there will come a time where Will decides he wants to work in his own country. I know he's English but America, that sort of an idea is much more similar to England than Japan is.

"There's something to be said about being a worldwide television superstar, and you won't get that working for New Japan Pro Wrestling," he added. "It's great to be there, but the big leagues, the real big leagues kind of lie in America. So I would love to see Will working with AEW, and at some point, I think that will probably happen, but in the meantime, we are building the the talent that we have. MJF to Sammy Guevara to Darby Allin, Jungle Boy, Hangman Page, the list goes on and on of these guys that we built basically from scratch. Even Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks, they weren't half as big then as they are now. So I think we've done a great job because you have to build from the bottom up."

Do you think Ospreay will ever wind up in AEW? Could he sign with WWE instead? Or will he simply stay in New Japan for the duration of his career? Tell us your prediction down in the comments! 

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