Will Ospreay insists his autism has helped him on his journey to the top (Picture: AEW/Ricky Havlik)
Will Ospreay has described his autism as a superpower which helped him become one of the best professional wrestlers in the world.
The Essex-born British wrestling standout, who turned down an offer from WWE earlier this year to instead sign for rivals AEW, has been open about his journey, as well as his lifelong struggles with ADHD and dyslexia.
Discussing life as an autistic wrestler, Ospreay exclusively told Metro.co.uk: ‘I feel like it’s excelled my abilities to the point where I do think I’m at a superhero level, super genius level of pro wrestling now.’
The 31-year-old star, who is set to take to the squared circle at Wembley Stadium for the second year in a row when AEW returns with All In London next month, admitted there’s no easy answer.
‘But I honestly don’t know. The truth is, I take every single day as it comes,’ he explained.
He added: ‘I do feel like this has helped me out so much because it helped me dive into something that I genuinely love, and I think about constantly and I want everyone else to feel the same love that I feel.’
The AEW star is highly regarded as one of the best wrestlers in the world (Picture: AEW/Ryan Loco)
He turned down an offer from WWE to join All Elite Wrestling (Picture: AEW/Lee South)
While Ospreay’s candour about his life and struggles is inspiring to fans around the world, he admitted he has never strived to be ‘any type of role model’, and doesn’t really feel like he’s having that impact.
He added: ‘But in the same way, I do understand when people see someone and go, “I’ve got the same thing as you do and you’re on this stage”.
What is autism?
According to the NHS, common signs of autism in adults can include:
Struggling to understand what others are thinking or feeling
Anxiety about social situations
Struggling to make friends, or preferring to be on your own
Appearing blunt, rude or uninterested in other people without meaning to
Struggling to verbalise how you feel
Taking things literally
Needing routine and getting anxious if it changes
Misunderstanding social ‘rules’
Avoiding eye contact
Having a ‘very keen interest’ in certain activities or subject
‘So like I do get it. And like, the goal was never gonna be an electrician or a good one anyway, I’ve blown up about four or five kitchens. [laughs] But like I was just obsessed and like I had like a fixation on wrestling.
‘If anyone is struggling with that and is struggling to find their joy and their happiness, because they feel like this is holding you back – don’t let it hold you back. Look straight ahead at where you want to get to and then you’ll find a way of getting there.’
The Essex-born star recently challenged Swerve Strickland for the AEW world championship (Picture: AEW/Lee South)
Of course, it’s not always easy for the current AEW International Champion, who gets nervous cutting promos on …read more
Source:: Metro
