Jon Moxley challenges AEW World Champion Kenny Omega in an exploding barbwire death match this Sunday at AEW Revolution.
Moxley spoke to Steven Muehlhaisen for DAZN this week about his chemistry with Omega, the high stakes of Sunday’s match and more.
Many people regard him and Omega as two of the best pro wrestlers in the world. Moxley said he agrees with that sentiment, but wrestling is not exactly like pro sports, where one championship game (or series) determines the best in the world.
“In wrestling, that’s not necessarily the case. It’s different,” said Moxley. “You can be one of the best. The most important thing is how do you say who’s better: Shawn Michaels or Ric Flair? You can’t pick. If your favorite wrestler growing up when you were a kid was Big Van Vader or Ahmed Johnson, then they’re the best wrestler in the world to you. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter who drew more money or who had people think had better matches. The most important thing is you just got to be the best you.”
Jon Moxley & Kenny Omega
Moxley said that he and Kenny Omega are being the best versions of themselves in AEW. They’re not being held back. They’re not being overproduced. AEW allows them to ply their craft and executive their visions.
“You’re getting the best version of Kenny Omega, the best version of Jon Moxley on a weekly basis on Dynamit,” he continued..” I don’t think anybody’s doing it at a higher level than me and Kenny are right now. We’re both in our prime, both at our peak, both just really hitting on all cylinders.
We’re in a position with AEW where we just get to go out there, be given the ball, and get a chance to score touchdowns on a weekly basis. Nobody’s doing it at a higher level than us two right now.”
Visit DAZN to check out the rest of the interview.
Kenny Omega will defend his AEW World Championship this Sunday at Revolution against former champion, Jon Moxley. This will not be a standard match as their one at Winter is Coming will be, however. Rather, this match will be contested under “Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match” rules. Omega recently spoke to SI.com and gave further details about the match.
“The idea itself is incredible,” Omega said. “You touch the ropes and they explode. This is a match that was made famous about 30 years ago in FMW. It’s not like a cage match where you have a pretty good idea about what you’ll see. With this, there are going to be so many unexpected parts.”
Omega continued to say that this match is partly about him expanding his repertoire as a performer.
“I’ve been hearing for over a year these expectations of what I was supposed to be in AEW. It was just a copy-and-paste of the ‘Tokyo Dome Kenny Omega,’ which would essentially have monopolized all of our programming. If that were the case, an hour would have to go to my matches. I believe too much in our roster and our vision to ever want to do something like that.”
“This is my opportunity to show to a much broader audience that I can show a different side to my work, do these skits, which the people who watched Being the Elite already knew, and accomplish a whole new set of goals.”
AEW Revolution will mark just the second time Omega has defended the belt since winning it in December. His first title defence was against Fenix on the first night of AEW’s New Year’s Smash.
Are you ready for this Sunday, March 7th at #AEWRevolution? Step inside the exploding barbed wire deathmatch Watch #AEWDynamite NOW on @TNTDrama
AEW Champion Kenny Omega recently commented on the in-ring abilities of WWE Superstar Brock Lesnar. The former ‘Next Big Thing’ and WWE Champion has been away from the company since losing to Drew McIntyre at last year’s WrestleMania.
With Kenny Omega recently making comments about a potential WWE/AEW crossover; there has been discussion and clamouring from fans to see potential dream matches between the two biggest promotion in North America, if not the world.
A fan asked Kenny Omega on Twitter what his thoughts were on Lesnar. Omega replied to the prospect of having a ‘dream’ match against the former UFC fighter.
Kenny Omega on Brock Lesnar
“Brock is one of the greatest athletes and performers of all time” Kenny Omega wrote. “I’d need more friends if I were to face him.”
There was previously rumblings of Lesnar potentially joining AEW. Lesnar’s WWE contract was up for renewal and there was speculation that All Elite/Tony Khan had contacted Lesnar. With UFC now no longer on Lesnar’s radar, it is possible that he/his team were using potential AEW talks to negotiate a better deal with WWE. It has not been confirmed if Brock Lesnar is still signed to WWE at this point.
Former WWE Superstar Jon Moxley also recently discussed the potential of AEW and WWE working together. With Moxley having intrinsic knowledge of the company, he said it wasn’t likely to happen anytime soon.
“That would never happen” Moxley told to Inside The Ropes this week. “That’s not even worth wasting any mental energy to… You know. I mean, if you want to fantasy book some cool s**. You know, maybe you could fantasy book it for, like, fun magazine, stuff.”
Here are some of our recent articles related to Brock Lesnar & AEW:
Kenny Omega recently clarified that AEW’s agreement with NJPW is not a full-blown talent exchange. He spoke with Talk Sport recently about what fans can expect from the agreement reached between the two promotions.
“So you talk about the ‘forbidden door’ and people talk about it being open. It’s been ‘kicked open!’ or ‘blown open!’ Do I look at it as this gigantic door in the distance… I feel like it’s opened a crack and there’s this heavenly light shining through,” Omega said.
Omega then clarified that a few wrestlers will go from one promotion to the other but it won’t be a full talent exchange.
“A couple things slip through the cracks, you know what I mean? You might get a guy here or there sneaking in from one side to another, but it’s not going to be a full talent exchange where it’s a free-for-all going both ways.”
He continued to say that the agreement is hampered by international travel restrictions.
“It’s more the traveling restrictions and the things that make traveling between countries difficult is actually what is hurting us. But, in the same way, it helped this whole thing become a possibility because now we’ve been able to take a step back and take a look at the world we’ve realized there’s something a lot bigger than company pride or competing with everyone else around you trying to make yourself the number one brand.”
In response to a fan question on Twitter, Omega also recently stated that he believes Brock Lesnar is one of the best performers in history.
Brock is one of the greatest athletes and performers of all time. I’d need more friends if I were to face him.
Kenny Omega has provided new details regarding the AEW video game that is currently in development.
During his recent interview with TalkSport, AEW’s World Champion provided some updates on the game’s progress. He also revealed the timetable for its eventual release.
Omega first explained how they are trying to make a game that will be enjoyable for casual and hardcore gamers alike.
When is the AEW video game coming out?
The AEW video game is currently scheduled to be released during the first quarter of 2022.
“I would say in a perfect world, give it about a year’s time,” said Omega. “We’re working really hard and we’re lucky to have two teams. One in America and one in Japan, working on this almost around the clock.
He continued, “We do know that time is of the essence. We can’t let this sit around forever and people want a game like, yesterday. We do want to release something as soon as we feel it’s ready and representative of what our brand should be and what will make fans happy.”
More on the AEW video game
AEW wants to create a game fans will love, but do not want to keep people waiting forever. They want to avoid a Street Fighter 5 or Cyberpunk situation. Those games were delayed repeatedly.
Apart from this, Kenny Omega also talked about the technical aspects of the game. They are working diligently to capture the essence of the different wrestling styles represented by AEW’s roster.
There’s much more to the interview. If you’re interested in AEW’s video game, visit TalkSport to read all the quotes from their chat with Kenny Omega.
Click below to learn more about the AEW video game:
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently discussed the upcoming Exploding Barbed Wire DeathMatch in AEW. It was confirmed on this week’s AEW Dynamite that Kenny Omega will be defending his Championship against Jon Moxley in the FMW classic match type at AEW Revolution.
“The match can work if you do it the right way” Bully Ray began. “If they try to do too much? It’s not gonna work. There’s a way to do it and it revolves around how you toy with the psychology leading up to it. It revolves around how many times you actually fall into the exploding barbed wire. It also revolves around what that means in the match.”
Bully Ray on Exploding DeathMatch
“One of my biggest problems with Last Man Standing matches is that talent will prostitute the count” Bully Ray continued. “When a ref starts counting early? You know the guy is gonna get up by two; but a little later he’s gonna get up by four, then a little later he’s gonna get up by six, a little later by eight and then you know whatever the finish is. If I’m doing a Last Man Standing match? I never want the count to be to be prostituted”
Bully Ray finished by discussing how he would approach the bout from a phycological standpoint. “I don’t want it to be used too much in this match. You build to the exploding barbed wire, you go into the barbed wire one to two times the get cut up, then you fall into the exploding stuff, and then you get a finish” Bully stated. “Don’t overdo it, because then it becomes overkill. You want to leave this match with just enough so these people would want to see it again.”
AEW World Champion Kenny Omega believes it is possible that WWE and AEW could work together one day.
Back in December, Triple H had said that WWE is “open for business” when asked about possibly working with other promotions. Omega says he believes Triple H, and that WWE and AEW could work together someday. He detailed his thoughts on the matter in a recent interview with Talk Sport.
“I think Triple H is still being one of the boys for the better part of his career. I’m sure a big part of how he runs his business and how he looks at WWE, NXT and all those things he has a finger in, I really do think he does it for the sake of fans as well.”
“So when he does say things like he’s open for business, I do think if there is a situation which could maybe eliminate some of the worries and fears from the other people that have a say in making these things happen, I do see it being a reality.”
Omega continued to say, however, that it took a pandemic for AEW/Impact/NJPW to come together, so he’s not sure what it would take to add WWE to the mix. He hopes that WWE knows that at least one EVP in AEW would fight “tooth and nail” to make it happen, however.
“But, for us with IMPACT, New Japan, it took a global pandemic for this to actually happen [laughs]. So who knows what it would take for it to happen on their end, but as long as they know at least on the AEW side they’ve got more than one EVP looking to make this a better and brighter place for every wrestling fan young or old and possibly the disenfranchised fan, the fan that used to be a fan but isn’t a fan anymore.”
“We want to make this a fun thing for everyone and if that includes working with literally everyone, which I think would make everyone happy, then I’m all for it and I would lobby very hard for it, fight tooth and nail to make it happen.”
AEW has announced that Kenny Omega will be defending his AEW World Championship against Jon Moxley in an Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch at the upcoming Revolution PPV.
The main event of this week’s episode of Dynamite saw the former AEW Champion teaming up with Rey Fenix, and Lance Archer to defeat the trio of Eddie Kingston, The Butcher, and The Blade.
Mox however, got attacked by the Good Brothers after the match. Kenny Omega then came out with a mic while Gallows and Anderson were holding Jon.
The current champion showed some papers to his rival and revealed that the former WWE star slipped a rematch clause into their title match agreement.
Omega said that Moxley will get his rematch but he will choose the stipulation for it and he chose an Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch.
Updated Revolution Match Card
The world title match is the sixth bout that has been announced for the Revolution PPV taking place on March 7. After the latest announcement, below is the updated match card for the show:
AEW Championship Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch: Kenny Omega (c) vs. Jon Moxley
AEW Women’s Championship: Hikaru Shida (c) vs. Winner Of AEW Title Eliminator Tournament
AEW Tag Team Championships: The Young Bucks (c) vs. Chris Jericho and MJF
Street Fight: Sting and AEW TNT Champion Darby Allin vs. FTW Champion Brian Cage and Ricky Starks with Taz
Face of Revolution Ladder Match: Cody Rhodes vs. Penta El Zero M vs. Scorpio Sky vs. 3 Contestants TBA
Singles Match With Winner Getting His Opponents 2021 Quarter One Earnings: Matt Hardy vs. Hangman Page
Following the main event of last night’s AEW Dynamite, Kenny Omega, Don Callis and the Good Brothers spoke about recent comments made by NJPW Bullet Club members, Jay White and Tama Tonga.
“I actually feel bad because they’re our brothers over there,” Callis said.
“The bottom line is when the 3 brothers here left the Bullet Club, it was actually a good thing because it created opportunity for some mid-card guys to move up the chain and fly the flag.”
Callis then compared it to a baseball fantasy camp.
“I think we’ve done something really good here, this is a nice thing that we’ve done. We’ve created opportunity here. Those guys are good guys but you don’t replace Michael Jordan.”
Callis then pretended not to know who the NJPW Bullet Club members are.
“I think the Bullet Club guys in Japan are great, I’m not familiar with what the names are just yet but they are flying the flag so I’d like to put a stop to all these bad feelings.”
Callis then encouraged fans to purchase Bullet Club merchandise to help the faction out.
“I’d like to encourage all the fans out there, please buy the merch. Let’s get them back in the top-40 on Pro Wrestling Tees.”
Kenta made his AEW debut after the main event match during this week’s episode of Dynamite which saw Kenny Omega and The Good Brothers defeat Jon Moxley, Rey Fenix and Pac in a 6 men tag team match.
Lance Archer came out to clear the ring of the Good Brothers following their win. Kenta then showed up to respond to Mox’s attack on last week’s NJPW Strong.
Kenny Omega caught Kenta outside of the Daily’s Place after the show. Omega tried to welcome him to ‘The American Club’, to which he responded “Shut the f**k up, I’m not your friend. I’m here to beat Jon Moxley’” and walked away.
Though the response did not stop the AEW chamion and he issued a challenge and asked Tony Khan to book a match for next week’s episode of Dynamite.
Kenny Omega said that after he ‘smoothes things over’ with his new friend Kenta, he would like the AEW president to let them fight Mox and Lance Archer in a bout. He mentioned that since the NJPW star is not under contract with the company, the fight will have to be unsanctioned.
None of the other stars have responded to this challenge issued by Omega yet. You can check out his post-show interview in the video below:
Kota Ibushi recently took to his Twitter account to say that he wants “a competition between two companies that will change the entire industry.” Ibushi’s former tag-team partner, Kenny Omega, responded.
“I never forgot his challenge to me via YouTube in 2008. I wanted to make wrestling more popular. Now the shoe is on the other foot, but this is my chance to make an appeal. I want a competition between two companies that will change the entire industry. It needs a shot in the arm,” Ibushi Tweeted (translation via Michael Nakazawa.)
Omega then responded to Ibushi. Nakazawa again provided a translation of his comments.
“Oh, so the new God still has a soul after all… I’m touched. Already feeling lonely in the Kingdom I left for you? Shall I destroy it? Take my hand, we’ll build a new one,” Omega Tweeted (translations via Michael Nakazawa.)
Omega and Ibushi are collectively known as The Golden Lovers. They formed in DDT in early 2009.
Tama Tonga then replied to both Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi.
“You tried to destroy it once, but I got in the way. Now I’m coming for both of you heads,” he Tweeted (translations via Google Translate). “We understand everything. You are all lovers. I will break your heart.”
The matches and the storylines booked for the female wrestlers of AEW have attracted their fair share of praises as well as criticisms. However, the role of Kenny Omega in the changing scenario of AEW’s women’s division cannot be denied.
In a recent interview with Scott Fishman of TVInsider, the AEW World Champion discussed working the creative side of the business behind the scenes, including charting the course for the AEW women’s division.
“I think we are taking baby steps,” Kenny Omega said. “We have hungry performers who are passionate about getting a chance to do their best. Passion speaks to me more than the performance of a maneuver, and right now, our women are really chomping at the bit to get these TV spots.”
AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida
Kenny Omega Praises the Women of AEW
Kenny Omega did not miss out on heaping praise on the women of AEW, and he is confident that the company will soon reach the place where the female roster gets as much screen time and opportunities as their male counterpart.
“They’re all training hard. Our roster keeps getting better. [No one has] lost their passion. They are still striving for that big goal, which is for the women’s division to get more time. I’ll have the biggest smile on my face the day we get it. I know we will.”
For a long time the AEW women’s division has been subject to criticism due to poor booking and minuscule screen time. However, wrestlers like Britt Baker, Serena Deeb, Thunder Rosa, Hikaru Shida, and others have proven time and again that they are more than capable of putting on entertaining matches and storylines if given the opportunity.
AEW star Kenny Omega surprised everyone when he associated himself with Impact Wrestling’s Don Callis few weeks back and since then, this relationship has extended into a full blown partnership between the two promotions.
During a recent interview with TVInsider, the current AEW Champion talked about things like their struggles with the COVID-19 pandemic and more.
When asked how it has been working with Impact Wrestling, Omega claimed that it’s exciting that they have blown the doors opens for many new potential opponents:
“I went to Impact, AAA and back to AEW, so I have been able to see three different rosters—all incredibly talented, regardless of what fans say is the best. As a performer, I’d love to work with each and every one of them.
It’s exciting that we’ve blown the doors wide open and there are all these potential opponents.” said Kenny Omega, “I just hope as we present these new matches, the fans enjoy watching them as [much as] we enjoy performing them.”
The former IWGP World Champion also talked about his partnership with Callis and said that for a long time he thought Don was one of the most psychologically gifted professional wrestlers.
According to Omega, for him joining forces with the Impact official meant that they weren’t going to take failure as an answer.
You can check out his full interview at TV Insider.
Don Callis has boldly compared himself to the one and only Advocate of pro wrestling, Paul Heyman. In fact, the Invisible Hand is so confident that he proclaims to be working at “a much higher level” than “characters” like Heyman. With all due respect.
Callis is the mastermind behind Kenny Omega, the reigning World champion of All Elite Wrestling. During a recent discussion with Chris Van Vliet, he was asked about people who have influenced his career. Among the names were [Kenny Omega’s uncle] The Golden Sheik, former WWE Superstar Bad News Allen and the esteemed Paul Heyman.
There are certain similarities between Callis and Heyman. Aside from guiding the careers of men at the very top of the sport, they both seem to play 4D chess while others are playing checkers. Callis didn’t just cite Paul Heyman as an influence, though. He thinks his current work with Kenny Omega is on a whole different level.
“I’ve been happy for Paul that he’s had the success that he’s had, because he’s a very talented and hard-working guy,” said Callis. “He did a lot for me. There have been people now that have been comparing us, and I think it’s an unfair comparison for Paul because Paul is a tremendous wrestling performer, a character on a television show. He does a wonderful job of that. I’m not a character. I am the essence of who I am and what I do is done at a much higher level than what characters like Paul, with all due respect, can do.”
You can watch Don Callis’ full interview with Chris Van Vliet below:
Don Callis & Kenny Omega
Don Callis and Kenny Omega will return to AEW Dynamite. The return follows Saturday’s Impact Hard to Kill pay-per-view, which saw Omega pin Impact Champion Rich Swann in the main event.
AEW is advertising that Omega will “reflect on his dominance.”
In the main event of Impact Wrestling’s Hard to Kill PPV, Kenny Omega and the Good Brothers wore Bullet Club branding. Karl Anderson wore a Bullet Club hoodie, Doc Gallows had the faction’s logos on his gear, and Kenny Omega wore a cut-up Bullet Club Halloween special edition t-shirt. Branding for the faction appearing on Impact was addressed recently by Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio.
“Everyone thinks it has something to do with New Japan, it’s got nothing to do with New Japan,” Meltzer said.
The words “Bullet Club” were never mentioned on commentary.
“I cannot imagine that wearing a t-shirt would be illegal in any way shape or form. I mean, if he was selling the t-shirt that would be illegal. Giving them publicity for wearing a t-shirt? No, there wouldn’t be anything illegal about that at all. They should be happy that he’s publicizing their t-shirt on television.”
“Why would (NJPW) ever get mad about something like that?” Meltzer continued. “Gallows and Anderson are going to be in New Japan soon enough and they are going to be in Bullet Club. Or at least the theory is they will be in Bullet Club, I don’t know that 100%”
Impact Wrestling is back tonight with the first episode from the tapings held over the weekend. Eric Young will face Rhino, and Jordynne Grace & Jazz will face Kimber Lee and Susan (aka Su Yung) on the show.
When Kenny Omega, Karl Anderson, and Doc Gallows walked to the ring last night at Hard to Kill, they were each wearing Bullet Club branding.
Karl Anderson wore a Bullet Club hoodie to the ring, Gallows’ gear was all decked out in Bullet Club logos and Kenny Omega wore a limited edition Bullet Club Halloween t-shirt as well. The commentary team never referred to them as Bullet Club, however.
Omega and the Good Brothers defeated the team of Rich Swann, Chris Sabin, and Moose on the show. Moose was replacing Alex Shelley, who was pulled from the event in the days leading up to it.
The Bullet Club’s Tama Tonga has been critical of the faction’s reunion in AEW and Impact. He believes only the wrestler still in NJPW are true members of the faction. Tonga posted the following last night:
“At this point, it’s only BulletClub when the Tongans are in it. Anything else is just guys that wished they were back in BulletClub,” Tonga Tweeted.
Karl Anderson is one of the 4 founding members of the faction along with Tonga, Bad Luck Fale, and Prince Devitt. Gallows joined later in 2013. Omega wouldn’t join until 2014 as a junior heavyweight.
IMPACT Wrestling held their Hard To Kill 2021 event tonight. The main event of the card was once of the most anticipated bouts of the past couple of months; Kenny Omega and The Good Brothers would team up to take on; IMPACT Champion Rich Swann, Chris Sabin and TNA Champion Moose.
The scheduled main event was originally supposed to see Kenny Omega and The Good Brothers take on Rich Swann and the Motor City Machine Guns. Unfortunately, MCMG member Alex Shelley was unable to appear and therefore had to be pulled from the match. Rich Swann’s longtime rival Moose was then added to the match.
Here’s the quick results from IMPACT Wrestling’s Hard To Kill 2021:
Kenny Omega, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson vs Rich Swann, Chris Sabin and Moose. – Kenny Omega took the win for his team after hitting the One Winged Angel on Rich Swann
Barbed Wire Massacre: Eddie Edwards vs Sami Callihan – Eddie Edwards took the win after hitting the Emerald Flowsion on a barbed wired covered chair
The Karate Man vs Ethan Page – Karate Man took the win after he pulled Ethan Page’s heart out of his chest, seemingly killing him
IMPACT Knockout Championship Match: Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs Taya Valkyrie – Deonna Purrazzo took the win via submission to retain her IMPACT Knockouts Championship
IMPACT X Division Championship Match: Chris Bey vs Manik (c) vs Rohit Raju – Manik (TJP) took the win after rolling up Raju. Rohit Raju pulled Manik’s mask off during the match to reveal TJP with facepaint. The commentary team pretended at first it wasn’t him
Ace Austin vs Matt Cardona – Matt Cardona took the win via DQ when Madman Fulton interfered
Knockouts Tag Team Championship Match: Tasha Steelz and Kiera Hogan vs Havok and Nevaeh –Kiera Hogan took the win for her team to win the Knockouts Tag Team Championships. Gail Kim and Madison Rayne appeared after the match to present the newly re-introduced belts to the Champions
Eric Young, Joe Doering and Deanor vs Tommy Dreamer, Rhino and Cousin Jake – Eric Young took the win for the newly named Violent By Design after hitting a Piledriver on Cousin Jake. Moments before Eric Young had been dropped onto thumbtacks.
Rosemary and Crazzy Steve v.s Tenille Dashwood and Kaleb with a K – Rosemary and Crazzy Steve took the win after spewing mist on their opponents. Crazzy Steve hit a tornado DDT on Kaleb to gain the pinfall
Brian Myers vs Josh Alexander – Brian Myers took the win after hitting a Lariat
The official replay for IMPACT Wrestling Hard To Kill will be available to view via FITE TV.
Hard to Kill Videos
Impact Wrestling has updated the following videos from Hard to Kill:
Impact Wrestling World Champion Rich Swan is gearing up for one of the biggest matches of his life. This Saturday night, Impact presents Hard to Kill live on pay-per-view. Swann will team with the Motor City Machine Guns against AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and Impact World Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers (Gallows & Anderson).
Swann appeared on Wrestling Epicenter this week and spoke to host James Walsh about the significance of this match. The full interview is embedded here, with highlights below.
Rich Swann is currently the top dog in Impact Wrestling, but it almost didn’t happen. He suffered a wave of injuries last year that almost forced him into retirement.
“It was excruciating, it was painful, it was something that I wouldn’t ever wish on my worst enemy,” said Swann. “I broke my leg, my fibula, my ankle… Everything in my ankle, my foot… And then, not only that, my back. My lower back was broken. You know, I was told that I probably would never wrestle again let alone walk the same way again. That was just another something that I had to overcome.”
Thanks to exhaustive physical therapy, he eventually trained himself back into fighting shape. Swann captured the Impact World Championship at Bound for Glory 2020. He says “the crown is heavy on the head” because so many legends before him have held that title. It means the world to him that he’s the leader of a company that has such a rich history.
Impact Working With AEW
Impact Wrestling’s working relationship is one of the hottest angles in pro wrestling. As Impact World Champion, Swann is one of the key players involved in the inter-promotional conflict. He feels that the two companies working together is “awesome” for the business and for fans.
Last week, we saw The Good Brothers crash AEW Dynamite and come tot he aid of Kenny Omega. The Young Bucks joined in and the group embraced in what appeared to be a reunion of former Bullet Club members. Swann says he’s not surprised at what we saw. He feels that it was just a matter of time before the Bullet Club members threw up the Too Sweet symbol and showed their true colors. Even though he’ll be standing across the ring from Omega and the Good Brothers this Saturday night, he can’t help but admit that it’s cool to see them together again.
Don Callis has been claiming that Kenny Omega is the “real” world champion, which has to be seen as a slight to people like Rich Swann. When asked how he feels about this, Swann said he does not let it get under his skin.
“No, it doesn’t get under my skin because I know what I had to do to win the World Heavyweight Championship,” said Swann. “So, for someone to say that they’re the “real” world champion, guess what? You are the real world champion… in AEW! Maybe thanks to the tactics that he used with Don Callis, don’t forget to mention! I did it the old fashioned way – With heart, determination, and the power of love of professional wrestling. If you look at our wins, if you compare those two, who is the real World Champion?”
AEW World Chamion Kenny Omega has made it known that he is on the hunt for more titles. Would Rich Swann be interested in a match to unify the AEW and Impact World titles?
“I’m from Baltimore, Maryland.” said Swann. “I’m not afraid to step into the ring with no man. I fear no man and I only fear one thing. The thing is, that is not one thing that I would ever fear. If he (Kenny Omega) wanted to step into the ring and do a Unification… We’ve it. We’ve seen seen him go into Mexico and he beat Loredo Kid in AAA. Do I think he could come into my house and do what he did there? I don’t know. Time will tell.”
With just days until Impact’s Hard to Kill pay-per-view, Rich Swann says he and the Motor City Machine Guns are ready with “a whole lot of ammunition and we’re ready to unload.”
Order Impact Wrestling Hard to Kill now at FITE.TV.
Don Callis says nobody is on Kenny Omega’s level, including his “onetime close friend” and former partner, Kota Ibushi.
The former Golden Lovers partners sit atop the wrestling world with championship gold to prove their worth. Omega is the reigning AEW World Champion and the AAA Mega champion. Ibushi was the big winner coming out of NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 by winning and defending the IWGP Heavyweight & Intercontinental titles.
“The Invisible Hand” recently spoke with Talk Sport about Omega’s success. He says Ibushi was a good friend of Kenny Omega “at one point.” He knows Ibushi is a great wrestler. But he’s not the best.
“Kenny Omega is still the best wrestler in the world and number two isn’t close,” said Callis “Whether it’s [Impact World Champion] Rich Swann or Kota Ibushi, you’re getting in the ring with Kenny Omega, a generational, once in a lifetime performer.”
Callis thinks that no matter how good of a wrestler Kota Ibushi is, he exists in a bubble. Ibushi hasn’t tested himself around the world like Kenny Omega has.
“What makes Kenny great isn’t just the athleticism, it’s his next level thinking. Kota Ibushi thinks in the IWGP bubble. It’s all he knows and all he’s ever known. In order for Kota Ibushi to truly evolve into the Kota Ibushi he can be, he needs to get on an airplane. He needs to come from Japan and defend that title around the world like Kenny Omega does.”
The Problem With Kota Ibushi…
Don Callis honed in on what he believes to be, “the problem” with Kota Ibushi. Naturally, Callis will promote his guy and is protective of how Kenny Omega is perceived.
“The problem with Kota Ibushi has never been a lack of ability, it’s been a lack of imagination,” he began. “But Kota is very much like the wrestling fans we spoke about, he has a limited world view. He has been a great friend of Kenny’s in the past, the reality is, sometimes as we move through our lives we have to shed friends like we shed dead skin cells. What once worked in a friendship or relationship no longer works for us, so we move on.”
Callis finished by teasing that he and Kenny Omega have plans that most of us are thinking ‘too small’ to comprehend. “A lot of people would love to see Kenny and Kota Ibushi reunite, but that’s very small-minded thinking and it is what it is. People get excited about their dream matches.”
Head over to Talk Sport to check out their full interview with Don Callis.
Impact Wrestling on AXS TV returns tonight with the first new episode of 2021.
Impact finished the year strong with the hot inter-promotional storyline involving AEW World Champion Kenny Omega, Don Callis and the Good Brothers. Omega and Callis will be on hand tonight as the built continues for Hard to Kill later this month.
The following matches are advertised for Tuesday’s Impact:
Sami Callihan vs. Eddie Edwards
Jordynne Grace & Jazz vs. Nevaeh & Havok: Winners advance to Knockouts Tag Team Tournament Finals.
KC Navarro vs. Crazzy Steve vs. Ace Austin & Blake Christian
Rhino & Cousin Jake vs. Joe Doering & Eric Young
Moose vs. Matthew Palmer in a ‘Last Three Minutes’ Challenge.
Impact Wrestling: Hard To Kill
The card is taking shape for Impact Wrestling’s next pay-per-view, Hard to Kill. Here is the updated lineup for next weekend’s pay-per-view:
AEW World Champion Kenny Omega & Impact Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers vs. Impact World Champion Rich Swann & The Motor City Machine Guns
Knockouts Champions Deonna Purrazzo vs. Taya Valkyrie
X-Division Champion Manik vs. Chris Bey vs. Rohit Raju
Knockouts Tag Team Championship Tournament Finals: Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz vs. Jordynne Grace & Jazz OR Nevaeh & Havok
The Impact Wrestling Hard to Kill event takes place Saturday, January 16th. You can order the show now at Fite.tv for $39.99.
AEW Champion Kenny Omega and ‘The Invisible Hand’ Don Callis recently appeared on Chris Jericho’s Talk Is Jericho podcast. The duo discussed a number of topics during the podcast, including Omega’s recent match in AAA, Don Callis’ ‘megaplan’ and the NJPW match between Jericho/Omega that ‘changed the wrestling industry.’
When discussing his Wrestle Kingdom 12 match against Kenny Omega; Chris Jericho would reveal that he was concerned about leaving the WWE bubble and heading to another promotion where he believes he may have not been ‘remembered.’
Chris Jericho on WWE versus New Japan
“There’s a certain atmosphere in WWE” Chris Jericho would begin. “It is what it is and I enjoyed it there for my time there. But this (New Japan) was a whole different level of…star positioning, shall we say. Positioning me in the main event of the Tokyo Dome with Kenny who is a proven huge star in New Japan.”
“Me? I’d not been there since 1997 when I was doing jobs for Kanemoto, whoever the hell it was…El Samurai?” Jericho would continue. “So for me to go there? People kind of knew who I was, but not really, unless you were a fan from 20 years prior. So I had to start from scratch. They might know the idea of what Chris Jericho is, maybe heard the name or seen some matches, when WWE came to Japan to do Sumo Arena? But this was a chance for me to prove myself on a completely different level.”
It’s almost baffling to believe that a veteran the stature of Jericho would think that the Japanese fans wouldn’t know who he is. Given that the former Y2J had been in almost every major promotion before 2018 and had won most of the biggest titles in the world? It’s fair to say that he would’ve always been welcomed by the Japanese fans with open arms.
Are you amazed that Chris Jericho was worried about this prior to re-joining New Japan? Let us know in the comments
AEW Champion Kenny Omega and ‘The Invisible Hand’ Don Callis recently appeared on Chris Jericho’s Talk Is Jericho podcast. The duo discussed a number of topics during the podcast, including Omega’s recent match in AAA, Don Callis’ ‘megaplan’ and the NJPW match between Jericho/Omega that ‘changed the wrestling industry.’
One of the most common comparisons Omega/Callis have had is that of Nick Bockwinkel and Bobby Heenan. Don Callis would start the interview by addressing that notion and saying that he and Omega are completely different beasts.
Don Callis on Comparisons To Greats
“I actually never said it, but people are saying that” the IMPACT Wrestling EVP would begin on the podcast. “I think it’s great. Nick Bockwinkel? He’s one of the greatest of all time. I think Bobby Heenan is a great wrestling manager. I am not a manager, I’m not a wrestling character, I’m making history Chris (Jericho), just like you.”
“I’m not out there performing, I’m not Bobby Heenan” Don Callis would continue. “I’m a revolutionary, I’m Winston Churchill. I don’t care what people say about me on the internet, I don’t care what the ratings are. Because guess what? When we get a rating? The next week, we forget about the week before and we’re on to the next thing.”
Don Callis would then reveal that his ambition goes far beyond the now in pro wrestling. “I don’t care what people say about me now. I care about what people say about Kenny Omega and Don Callis 50 years from now. When people are saying ‘we thought Eddie Graham, Bill Watts, Paul Heyman and Vince McMahon were smart?’ Don Callis and Kenny Omega are on a totally different level.”
‘The Invisible Hand’ would finish by again rubbishing the comparisons to Bockwinkel and Heenan. “That’s just the reality. So Nick Bockwinkel and Bobby Heenan? Great, great, wrestlers. Kenny Omega is not a wrestler, Kenny Omega is a God among insects. That’s how much better Kenny Omega is than everybody else.”
Do you agree with Don Callis? Do you think that he and Kenny Omega are carving out a path that will put them in the history books? Let us know in the comments
AEW Champion Kenny Omega and ‘The Invisible Hand’ Don Callis recently appeared on Chris Jericho’s Talk Is Jericho podcast. The duo discussed a number of topics during the podcast, including Omega’s recent match in AAA, Don Callis’ ‘megaplan’ and the NJPW match between Jericho/Omega that ‘changed the wrestling industry.’
Jericho would begin the interview by asking Kenny Omega how he felt about finally getting the AEW Championship. Much had been made of the AEW EVPs (The Young Bucks and Omega in particular) not being ‘the same’ performers they were in Japan before creating All Elite. Omega would state that he was ready to be the ‘Best Bout Machine’ again.
Kenny Omega on Becoming AEW Champion
“I felt that it was time” Kenny Omega began on the podcast. “I felt that I’d waited long enough kind of trying to help everyone else out. It was time to help myself, and when I had sort of made that decision? I thought, who better to do it with than one of my family members, you know?”
Omega would then discuss how the pairing with him and Don Callis would align on AEW and IMPACT programming. “Even though he was involved with a different company had other business to attend to? He made himself available. I think you can really tell when you’re comfortable with someone in a ring, comfortable with someone in a professional environment. Don and I working together? It just goes hand in hand.”
“I think that’s why people enjoy it (Kenny Omega and Callis)” Kenny Omega would continue. “Because they see that, they see the chemistry there. They also see one of the greatest managers, one of the greatest wrestling personalities of all time with, arguably, I would say; the greatest wrestler currently active in today’s world.”
Are you enjoying the start of Kenny Omega’s run as AEW Champion? Do you think that he’ll appear in more promotions? Let us know in the comments
After a successful defence at this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite, Kenny Omega will once again be defending his AEW world title at the upcoming New Year’s Smash episode of the show.
This week’s episode of the weekly show saw the cleaner taking on Joey Janela in the main event and the champion won the bout after delivering two V-Triggers and a One-Winged Angel on Janela.
Omega’s new associate Don Callis then took the mic and started gloating about how all the haters have been silenced with this victory before the Death Triangle came out.
The trio of Pac, Rey Fenix, and Penta El Zero Miedo interrupted the segment. Pac reminded the AEW champion that they have unfinished business but he claimed that he was here for a different reason.
The former WWE star reminded everyone how Rey Fenix had to pull out of the Title Eliminator Tournament earlier this year and said that Omega can’t call himself the rightful champion until Fenix has gotten his opportunity.
Callis tried to stop the trio but Pac revealed that he has already spoken to the AEW president Tony Khan. He then announced that a match between Rey Fenix and Kenny Omega has been made official for the upcoming Dynamite episode on December 30.
For those who don’t know, Rey Fenix had defeated Penta in the first round of the Title Eliminator Tournament in October but he was pulled from the second round of the tournament due to a neck injury. Penta then replaced his brother in the tournament and faced Omega in the second round.
Fenix will now be getting his shot at the AEW world title at Dynamite: New Year’s Smash night 1 on December 30. Chris Jericho would be on the commentary for this episode.
Callis appeared on Figure Four Daily and spoke to Bryan Alvarez about his recent actions. During the discussion, Alvarez asked Callis if he’s received any blowback from Impact for letting another promotion’s champion run rough shot on their show.
“Blowback? Bryan, Kenny Omega, and I are the most talked about thing in professional wrestling and have been for the last 2.5 weeks,” Callis responded. “When you are that big, no one can touch you. Cause you know what they think? They think ‘gee, I kind of wish Don had clued us in but we have Kenny Omega on our show and over a million people saw the Kenny Omega Don Callis interview.”
He added, “Over a million people saw the Tony Khan infomercial.’ Those numbers don’t lie, Bryan Alvarez. So, the words that Impact might be looking for is ‘hey, this is great!’”
Callis continued to talk about how this is an opportunity for someone like Impact World Champion Rich Swann to show the world what he’s capable of.
“Rich Swann is one of the most competitive athletes I’ve ever been around,” Callis continued. “So, all I’ve done is given someone opportunity, Bryan. Here’s your opportunity to get in the ring with the best wrestler in the world, Kenny Omega, with the Good Brothers, and show everyone who you are, and do it in front of more people than you ever dreamed possible. If you call that running rough shot, I call that making dreams come true, Bryan.”
Don Callis Hints At What Might Come Next
Callis was then asked if he can let fans know what might be coming next in the angle.
“This may go on, as my record suggests, for many, many years,” Callis responded. “When you want to imagine what that next move could be, imagine something so big that you didn’t think it was possible and then magnify that by a thousandfold and you might be getting in the ballpark of what’s next.”
The full interview from Figure Four Daily is available here.
