When Paul Heyman surprised a young AEW star with a wrestling contract offer

WWE's Paul Heyman invited a huge AEW star to a major promotion almost a decade ago. The star from the Jacksonville-based promotion he offered a contract to is Will Ospreay. Paul is one of the most captivating figures in the Stamford-based company. He has managed CM Punk, Brock Lesnar, and Roman Reigns throughout the years.

The Aerial Assassin is the company's biggest asset right now. His overall performance has been nothing less than extraordinary. He was a prominent star before even stepping foot in AEW. Ospreay started to work at NJPW in 2016 after achieving success in several British promotions.

In 2016, Paul Heyman invited Will Ospreay to a series called Heyman Hustle. The Hall of Famer called a young Will to the stage and praised the star during the show. Later, The Wiseman handed the former International Champion an offer letter from Evolve. Evolve is a wrestling promotion affiliated with WWE in 2016 but sold to the company in 2020.

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AEW's Will Ospreay states why he didn't join WWE

For many years, the former International Champion was one of the top stars in the independent scene. Although he was signed to NJPW, he has performed for different companies.

While speaking on Talk Is Jericho in 2018, Ospreay claimed he wanted to perform at WrestleMania as a kind, but he decided to stay in Japan when WWE tried to contact him.

"As a kid you'd always want your WrestleMania, you always wanted to be like yourself (Jericho), John Cena or any of those guys. It's always been in the back of my mind but as I've come here (NJPW) I've grown up more. I had a phone call the other day actually asking about my contacts and stuff like that. I appreciate it but I'm happy here and I love being a part of Japan," he said.

It will be interesting to see if the Aerial Assassin ever leaves AEW to join WWE.