Will Ospreay has earned the right to be AEW's gatekeeper

Since arriving in AEW, Will Ospreay has been on an upward trajectory. His in-ring talent is undeniable and, over time, his ability to cut promos has developed into one of the best in the company. Now, Ospreay is riding a wave and appears destined to become the first homegrown superstar in AEW's history.

As such, Ospreay is well-positioned to defend Tony Khan's company. He's helping lay the foundations for the years to come. So, it was understandable that in a recent interview with JJRBTS, Ospreay advised WWE talents not to view AEW as somewhere they can easily join if they get cut. 

“It should never be assumed that ‘Oh, I got let go here, I can just walk into AEW.’ Nah, bruv," Ospreay said. "The bar is too high now. I want to see all of these guys cut their teeth elsewhere and improve the houses elsewhere. Go to New Japan, go to NOAH, go to STARDOM. Go elsewhere and improve their houses before you can think ‘Oh, I’ll just come here.'”

It's worth noting that some of AEW's biggest stars are former WWE standouts. Ospreay addressed that during his interview.

“Swerve (Strickland) got let go from WWE and came to AEW straight away. He’s a special one. He’s special. MVP is another, he’s special. (Bobby) Lashley, special. Shelton (Benjamin), special. I want people to be like, you can’t just come walk in. I really do think the independents need it right now.”

Nevertheless, Ospreay is right. AEW has arguably the strongest roster in professional wrestling. It's not at a point where having WWE on your resume is enough to land you a contract immediately.

Ospreay has played a huge role in AEW's recent growth. Therefore, he's earned the right to sound out potential WWE stars nearing an exit from the company. He's protecting the house he's helping to build. In doing so, he's protecting the roster. 

There is only a finite amount of television time available each week. Every new addition can potentially take away from someone else who's been putting in the hard work. It's not fair to pull the rug from an established star, just because the latest addition is a WWE product.

With Ospreay being positioned as AEW's top star, the company is in good hands. Not only is he producing at an elite level, he's looking out for his coworkers and the growing AEW fanbase. It won't be long until he's widely accepted as a genuine superstar, and one that can take AEW to the next level.