Kenny Omega has said that sometimes, a backstage fight or two is what it takes in wrestling for wrestlers with grievances to let it all out.
Since 2022, the topic of backstage fights has cast a dark cloud over AEW, of which Omega is an Executive Vice President. Speaking about All Out 2022 during a recent Twitch stream, Omega admitted that he is of the belief that sometimes, a fight is needed to let things out, but admits this isn’t the right stance in 2024.
Kenny Omega talked about Brawl Out on twitch & his main concern was to get Larry the dog out of the situation ? pic.twitter.com/fUWAU6tkUh
— Dark Puroresu Flowsion (@PuroresuFlow) April 13, 2024
“I’ve played a lot of contact sports and I’ve gotten into jiu-jitsu and boxing and mixed martial arts… Sometimes emotions will get the best of you and people will want to throw hands. I am unfortunately, or fortunately a believer of it, I think that if it’s decided ‘Hey, this is the best way to solve things’ and you can shake hands after and move on after, I’m actually a believer of fighting.
“I am and it sounds terrible to say and that’s why, don’t make me an EVP in 2024. You can’t do that stuff anymore. I just feel that sometimes that’s how you have to settle things. Sometimes.”
AEW All Out 2022’s backstage fight, now known as ‘Brawl Out,’ would not be the last backstage fight, as Jack Perry and CM Punk would get physical at AEW All In: London less than a year later. Footage from the fight was recently aired on AEW Dynamite though many believe the move to ‘stick it’ to Punk has backfired on Tony Khan.
During the stream, Omega didn’t mention the All In fight or Khan’s decision to air the footage directly, but said that such fights aren’t meant to be shown on screen.
“I don’t mean you have to settle it and then it be shown on screen to everyone or people have to brag online about who won [or] who lost. No, it’s not for that purpose. It’s for the purpose of getting that stuff out that you need to get out.”
Ultimately, AEW has aired the footage from All In and that can’t be undone. Many now believe though that AEW and Khan are regretting the decision, as many videos of the footage shared online are being flagged by the promotion.
As for Omega, he is continuing to recover from diverticulitis and it remains unclear when he will be back in the ring. We’re continuing to wish him a full and speedy recovery.
For the use of quotes, please give an H/T to SE Scoops.