Will Ospreay has reflected on the defining moments that brought him to what he believes is the biggest match of his career after earning a shot at the AEW World Championship.

At AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door, Ospreay defeated Swerve Strickland in the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament final, securing a place in the main event of AEW All In at Wembley Stadium. The victory guarantees the British star a world title opportunity in front of a home crowd in London later this summer.

Speaking during the Forbidden Door post-show media scrum, Ospreay was asked by Dave Meltzer which moments in his career paved the way to this milestone. Looking back, he pointed to several key stages that convinced him he had reached wrestling's elite level.

The first came during his time in NJPW. While he acknowledged that his first Best of the Super Juniors victory, highlighted by his acclaimed match with Ricochet, introduced fans to his abilities, he believes his second tournament win and clash with Shingo Takagi elevated him into a different category.

"Like, this is the biggest thing that I've ever done in my wrestling career, like, by far, right? So I definitely think the time, not the first time I won the Super Juniors, 'cause I think that Ricochet match did, like, help open the doorway to see who Will Ospreay was. But I think the second time I won it when I wrestled Shingo at Ryogoku, I think people started to see me as one of those guys."

Ospreay also highlighted 2019 as a breakthrough year, saying he believed he was operating at a level above anyone else after competing in an extraordinary number of tournaments, including the New Japan Cup, Best of the Super Juniors, G1 Climax, Junior Tag League, and Super J-Cup.

"I really felt like I was the best wrestler in the world, 'cause I was operating on all cylinders... I feel like that's the first step of me becoming that guy."

He then identified standing across the ring from Bryan Danielson as another career-defining moment. Ospreay explained that sharing the spotlight with Danielson made him realize he had become one of the industry's leading names and someone the next generation could aspire to emulate.

"Having that moment with Danielson... there was a point where I was like, 'Oh s**t, like I'm one of these guys now. I'm one of the front-runners. I'm one of the leaders. I'm one of the guys for the next generation to look at and to inspire towards.'"

Ospreay added that he embraces the responsibility that comes with that position and sees winning the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament as the latest milestone in his journey.

He concluded by saying he has no problem following standout performances on major cards, believes he is capable of consistently headlining events, and remains confident that he is the best wrestler in the world.