As previously reported, Will Ospreay referenced Triple H in a promo on AEW Dynamite, and it was later noted that the promo was Ospreay’s idea, which he ran by management and got cleared. The Ospreay promo was a response to comments made by Triple H during Wrestlemania weekend, in which he said that wrestlers who weren’t “in it for the grind” had “no business” being in WWE.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that the reason Ospreay came up with the idea to respond was he felt he had to for personal reasons. Ospreay reportedly told Tony Khan that he would take full responsibility for it when he pitched it.
Ospreay’s reasoning was that he felt one of the most important people in wrestling, who he had respectful negotiations with, mocked his work ethic and dedication to wrestling. Ospreay noted he never took shots at WWE or its performers previously, and felt Triple H’s comments were a “cheap shot.”
When Ospreay negotiated with WWE, he said they were “fully aware” of his family situation with his partner (women’s wrestler Alex Windsor) and his stepson. He claimed that WWE knew he wanted to stay in the UK because Windsor couldn’t relocate due to her family, and they wanted to raise his stepson in London.
He said in a previous interview: ““Main thing was, I wanted to be in the UK. I know I’m not going to be exactly comfortable moving to another country. I moved to Japan in 2019, as much as I loved it, it wasn’t home. I entered a new relationship with my new Mrs. who wrestles under the name Alex Windsor, I have a stepson now, she just started school. If you know her story and everything she’s been through, the UK scene kind of knows it, but she lost her husband, and having to pick herself up from that and having to be a mom, a single mom, to losing her husband, it’s going to have some tolls on you, so she needs to be around family and friends in her social circle. I couldn’t bear the thought of moving her away from all of that and having her own on her own again. […] I respect everyone there doing it, but it’s not for me.”
Ospreay reportedly felt WWE was aware of all this and that’s why he felt Triple H’s remarks were a “low blow” and deserved a response.
