Will Ospreay has given his thoughts on “the grind” and has taken shots at Triple H in the process.
Prior to WrestleMania, WWE’s Chief Content Officer appeared on The Pat McAfee Show to hype up the event and address a variety of topics in relation to the company. One comment that went viral on social media saw Triple H call out those who want a lighter schedule and who are not “in it for the grind”:
“Because they succeed someplace else doesn’t mean they’ll succeed at the big time. How many players go from college football at a high level and fail in the NFL? It’s massive. It’s a different game, a different world. If they are not here to be all in on this…when I see people coming out of trying to make it, and then they pick a job where, well, they work less, the schedule is lighter, then I’m like, ‘I’m glad I didn’t get you.’ If you’re not in it for the grind, at that point early in your career, you have no business being here.”
The belief was that the comments were directed at free agents who could have signed with WWE but chose not to and instead picked another company as there were fewer dates and less travel. Taking these comments personally, Ospreay gave his own perspective on the matter on the April 10th episode of Dynamite.
Letting the fans know that he only had 5 minutes of TV time, Ospreay stated that he is extremely proud of what he has accomplished and continues his high work rate while continually travelling back and forth between the United States and the UK. Referencing “the grind”, Ospreay fired shots of his own to Triple H as he gave his thoughts on how the 14-time World Champion was put into an executive position:
“There’s this rumor that I’m afraid of the grind. I’ll be honest, I have no idea where this conversation has come from. I’m one of the only guys that is traveling every week from the UK to America, eight to ten hour flights, every single week, and I’m delivering some of the best professional wrestling matches this world has ever seen.
Normally I wouldn’t rise to this type of bait, but seeing as the guy that said it is only in the position he’s in because he was grinding on the boss’ daughter, you are in no position to tell me what the grind is all about my friend because you have no idea what I fight for. Let this be a painful jab back and a gentle reminder that you do not throw stones at an assassin with a machine gun.”
Will Ospreay Discusses Decision To Join AEW
First announcing that he would be signing with All Elite Wrestling full-time at Full Gear, The Ariel Assassin told the fans that he needed to tie up some loose ends in New Japan before he could fully commit to AEW for the foreseeable future. Ospreay returned shortly before Revolution and competed in his first match as a member of the roster at the pay-per-view. Appearing on Chris Jericho’s podcast after Revolution, Will Ospreay admitted there was a stark contrast between AEW & WWE offers.
H/t to Fightful.