Will Ospreay Downplays Importance of Having the Most Five-Star Matches

Will Ospreay is one of the biggest stars in AEW, and the company holds him in high regard. His in-ring skills are undeniable and it appears he has downplayed the importance of having the most five-star matches in pro wrestling history.

AEW’s All In at Wembley Stadium was truly memorable event from start to finish, and one of the highlights was undoubtedly Will Ospreay defeating MJF to become the new AEW International Champion.

With 41 top-rated matches to his name, Will Ospreay holds the record for the most five-star matches in history, surpassing Kazuchika Okada, who has 27. Despite the prestigious nature of these ratings, which reflect Meltzer’s personal opinion, there is ongoing debate about potential biases. Some critics suggest that there may be a bias toward Ospreay.

While speaking with Kenny McIntosh, Ospreay addressed his record as the most accomplished five-star wrestler. He acknowledged Meltzer’s expertise but suggested that while his opinion is valuable, it shouldn’t be the sole measure of a wrestler’s worth and downplayed its importance. Ospreay noted the term “Ospreay tax” used to describe the extra stars added to his matches and expressed amusement at the reactions of other wrestlers who criticize Meltzer’s ratings.

“I just think it is a guy’s opinion. With the wealth of knowledge that he has about wrestling, it’s always nice to hear his opinion, but I don’t think everyone should hang their hat on it. I think it’s more funny when it’s kind of like, oh, I appreciate it, and then there’s this whole line in the sand where people say that’s bulls—t. I love how now it’s called the Ospreay tax. [laughs] So anything that I do now there is an extra star or an extra half a star put on top of it.

What makes me laugh even more is that there are wrestlers that are signed, that will get on their phone, hit the record button and go, “He’s a numpty. He doesn’t know anything about wrestling.” You’ve got on your phone, you’ve seen something, you’ve seen a star rating, and you think it should be more! You talk s—t on the phone. The only people that I respect are the guys backstage. You can tell those wrestlers are hurt and it’s just like guys, relax, it’s just some geezer’s opinion, it doesn’t matter.”

Ospreay also responded to criticisms comparing his five-star matches to wrestlers like Kurt Angle, who never received a five-star rating in his career. He stated that he doesn’t consider himself better than Angle or Shawn Michaels. Ospreay stated that he respects the opinions of fellow wrestlers but finds the discourse around ratings to be entertaining, while acknowledging that some wrestlers might be affected by the ratings more than they let on.

“Do you honestly think I think I’m better than Kurt Angle? Because I can tell you now I’m not. Do you think I’m better than Shawn Michaels? I can tell you that I’m not. He has a certain taste, and I appeal to that level of taste. I don’t really have any opinion on it. But I do enjoy seeing what happens and the discourse between people; it is hilarious at this point. But any wrestlers that say it either in promos or on their phone about how it doesn’t matter, deep down it hurts them. It really does.”

Regardless, The Aerial Assassin is more focused on his upcoming title defense against PAC at AEW All Out, which could potentially receive another 5* rating as well. In the end, Ospreay doesn’t put much importance on them and that’s all that matters.

What’s your view on Will Ospreay’s mindset when it comes to having the most 5* ratings? Let us know in the comments section below!