Will Ospreay has opened up about a personal battle that has followed him for nearly a decade. The AEW star revealed that he first became aware of his body dysmorphia in October 2017, right around the time he won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship for the first time.
Ospreay defeated KUSHIDA on October 9, 2017 at NJPW King of Pro-Wrestling to capture the title, but a social media comment criticizing his physique hit him hard.
In a recent interview with Muscle & Fitness, Ospreay discussed the experience:
“I first discovered my body dysmorphia, and I won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, in October of 2017, and I remember one tweet was saying ‘he is in the worst shape,’ and they were right.
I didn’t understand working out, why you do sets, and why you focus on one body part, and macro counting. I would go to the gym, but I really didn’t know what I was doing, I’ll be honest, and I was so embarrassed to ask the boys, they’re all jacked, I felt like such an idiot, to try and (ask) ‘could I workout with you?’ so I never went to the gym.”
While spending time in New Zealand, Ospreay said he started following a MusclePharm workout routine and noticed a major physical transformation in just a few weeks. He then brought in personal trainer Iestyn Rees to better understand calories and macro counting. Ospreay had previously shared part of that transformation story in a 2023 interview.
Today, Ospreay says he uses that experience to encourage others not to feel ashamed about asking for help at the gym.
Ospreay has one of the biggest matches of his career ahead of him on Sunday, August 30, when he faces Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship in the main event of All In at Wembley Stadium in London.