Wrestling veteran details how Kenny Omega wanted to bring former WWE Superstar to AEW
NJPW star Rocky Romero has shared some details about how it was Kenny Omega who suggested opening the forbidden door and allowing KENTA to appear in All Elite Wrestling.
The former WWE Superstar shocked the world in 2021 when he attacked Jon Moxley at the "Beach Break" edition of Dynamite in February 2021, siding with Omega, who is also a former leader of the Bullet Club stable.
It was one of the first major instances of an NJPW star crossing over to AEW and vice-versa, and given the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, it didn't seem logically possible until it took place.
.@KENTAG2S HAS ARRIVED!
@njpwglobal https://t.co/u1wMj63M7i
But how did this appearance all come to be? Speaking on the AEW Unrestricted podcast, Rocky Romero revealed that it was Kenny Omega's idea to bring KENTA in, as the former WWE star was building to match with Moxley in NJPW at the same time.
“It all started honestly when Kenny Omega reached out and kind of like, nobody had crossed over yet between AEW and New Japan quite in some time. Maybe [Jon] Moxley maybe had done some stuff and [Chris] Jericho came over to Japan, but then nobody had really done anything since the pandemic started. Kenny reached out and was like ‘hey I’ve got this idea and i would love to-I’m working with Moxley, I would love if KENTA could come over and work a program’ because I know we had been building on the New Japan side a match between KENTA and Mox.” [1:47-2:28]
Romero detailed how Omega wanted to check with the NJPW higher-ups to see if it was possible, which Rocky was more than happy to do, and make a wrestling moment that has gone down as one of the most shocking in AEW's history.
“[Omega] was like ‘let’s see if we can get these guys over and can you check on your side with New Japan and see if we can make it happen,’ and I checked and we made it happen and KENTA came over and that was like the first ‘Forbidden Door’ interaction you know or whatever, and it worked really well, the fans perceived it great.” [2:29-2:45]
Kenny Omega might be nearing a return in the near future
The former AEW World Champion hasn't competed since the Full Gear pay-per-view in 2021, deciding to take some much-needed time away to rehab a number of injuries that had been building up since before All Elite Wrestling even existed.
However, it looks as if Kenny Omega could be nearing a return, as reports suggested that backstage personnel and AEW talent were informed that Omega was nearly ready to come back.
Reportedly, the plan is for Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks to compete in a 6 Man Tag Team Match at All Out!
#AEW #AEWDynamite #KennyOmega https://t.co/PQivCyYBUx
The apparent target for Kenny is the All Out pay-per-view on September 4th, which at the time of writing is just under two months away. Here is what Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer had to say on the matter.
“He’s hoping to be at All Out, but it’s too soon to say that he will or he won’t. It’s not… he’s hoping for it. That’s kind of the target right now. The Chicago show is a target for that, I think it’s the target for Punk, but I don’t think that either of them are sure things." (H/T Inside The Ropes).
While nothing is set in stone, are you looking forward to seeing Kenny Omega back in an AEW ring? Let us know in the comments section down below!
Please credit AEW Unrestricted and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling when using quotes from this article.