Despite facing criticism in the past, AEW received high praise from former WWE writer Freddie Prinze Jr., who commended the promotion and criticized WWE for missing out on signing new AEW star Will Ospreay.
During an episode of his “Wrestling with Freddie” podcast, Prinze Jr. highlighted AEW’s resurgence, noting that despite former world champion MJF’s absence, the roster has been strengthened by the additions of Mercedes Mone (formerly Sasha Banks in WWE) and former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada.
However, Prinze Jr. singled out Will Ospreay as AEW’s standout signing this year and criticized WWE’s handling of Ospreay’s free agency.
“WWE fumbled this so bad, and Will talked about this in an interview. He was like, ‘Yo, it was basically,’ and I’m paraphrasing, ‘it was an NXT contract, or it was millions of dollars at AEW. Peace.'”
Following his departure from NJPW, Ospreay engaged in negotiations with both AEW and WWE, resulting in a bidding war.
Ospreay cited AEW’s scheduling as a significant factor in his decision. Prinze Jr. also emphasized Ospreay’s potential to become a major name in the industry, likening him to actor Tom Hardy.
“The fact that they didn’t know this dude could cut a promo — forget the fact that he’s arguably the best wrestler in the world today, it might not even be arguable,
I’m saying arguable just to respect other wrestlers out there who maybe I haven’t seen — his work on the mic is top notch,”
Prinze Jr continued.
“This dude is a top, top star. A top, top star. I cannot wait to see where he goes.”
