Will Ospreay left AEW All Out with his world championship—and a few choice words for the competition. After beating Jon Moxley in the main event, Ospreay praised Chicago fans for choosing AEW before delivering a profanity-filled warning about running against the company.
In footage AEW released from after the pay-per-view went off the air, Ospreay addressed the sold-out crowd and explained what Chicago meant to him long before he became a wrestler. With WWE and AAA running Worlds Collide at the Allstate Arena that same night, his speech eventually turned into a direct statement about which show fans chose to attend.
Ospreay started by giving Chicago credit for the atmosphere that made its wrestling shows essential viewing when he was growing up. He also made it clear that the city’s willingness to tell wrestlers exactly how they feel was part of the appeal.
“Guys, can I say, when I was a wrestling fan, long before I ever put on a pair of boots, I can’t tell you how much joy I got as a kid watching wrestling shows in Chicago. You’re passionate. You’re loud. You let everyone know when they’re sht, and you let everyone know when they’re f*king good.”
For Ospreay, headlining the show carried a personal significance beyond another successful title defense. He told the audience that this was his first Chicago pay-per-view main event—and getting to do it in front of a sellout made the moment even bigger.
“Tonight is such a special night for myself personally. Tonight is my first-ever pay-per-view main event in Chicago, and this has sold out.”
Then came the shot at the competing show. Without naming WWE or AAA directly in the quoted remarks, Ospreay reminded fans that they had another wrestling option that night and congratulated them for picking AEW.
“You guys, you had a choice. You had a choice of what wrestling you wanted to see tonight, and it fills me with pride, pride knowing that I represent All Elite Wrestling. So congratulations on making the right choice.”
Ospreay wasn’t finished once he put down the microphone in the arena. During the post-All Out media scrum, the AEW World Champion doubled down on his claim that fans had picked the better destination.
“I cannot tell you the pride that I feel because people did have a choice, and everyone that came to this show tonight chose the right, chose the right company, because we deliver the best pay-per-views, the best professional wrestling.”
He then turned that praise for AEW into a warning for anyone looking to compete with it. Ospreay didn’t leave much room for interpretation about how he viewed the head-to-head challenge.
“Anytime anyone wants to come and step up to us, here’s reality for you: we’re gonna knock you down two fking levels. We are the best pro wrestling in the entire fking world. Do not fking step to us ever again.”
Ospreay’s next chance to back up that talk is already set. He will defend the AEW World Championship against AEW International Champion Kazuchika Okada at Grand Slam Paris on October 6.
Ospreay could have ended his night celebrating the win over Moxley, but he made sure the competition got a message too. Now he heads toward Okada with the world title around his waist and his own words raising the expectations for what comes next.
What did you make of Ospreay’s warning after All Out, and how should wrestling companies handle going head-to-head in the same market? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
