Kenny Omega Recalls Lackluster Finish To His Exploding Barbed Wire Match
One of the most anticlimactic finishes in the modern history of wrestling happened in March 2021 at AEW Revolution when Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley battled in an Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match. Unfortunately, the match won't be remembered for its incredible spots over the first 25 minutes, but rather the ending, which was literally a dud.
Speaking about the explosion that didn't go off, Omega joined Moxley's wife, Renee Paquette, on her podcast, "The Sessions," detailing what it felt like to have the match ruined by the lackluster climax.
The former AEW World Champion talked about how things sometimes don't "work out the way you picture it" heading into matches, but that he was proud of the fight he and Moxley had prior to the end. Despite being worried about what could happen during the match, Omega mentioned that he never considered what would happen if the explosion failed, noting that the explosion worked out fine in rehearsals.
"It never popped into my mind, that feeling, that thought," Omega said. "You just think the stuff that you can't control is going to be there for you. I'm trying to worry about what can i do to control the unknown. The thing I can't control is any sort of technical aspect of the match. So I'm just trusting that all these people that have the know how and have been tasked to do this can pull it off."
AEW Revolution 2021 emanated from Daily's Place in Jacksonville, Florida, an arena that has a half roof, allowing air from the outside to come in. Omega stated that because of the arena's unique design and the day being windy, he thought that was the reason the explosion didn't go off until later figuring out that the person in charge of the explosion made a change just prior to the show's main event. Omega said the boss of the explosion crew did not attend rehearsals and showed up with a different idea of how to make the explosion go off. The new idea misfired, and Omega said he wished that they would've "just done what we practiced."
'It sucks that that last part is what's going to stick in everyone's mind'
At the time, AEW owner Tony Khan said the storyline reason for the botch was "Kenny's master plan" being built as a dud.
Omega said he walked backstage after the match and wanted to hide his emotion from others until he got in front of the Young Bucks or people who have seen "me at my worst." However, Omega revealed he didn't get the chance to let out his emotion, as AEW producer and coach Jerry Lynn stopped him from doing anything he'd regret.
"So I remember being on my way to the back and I saw Jerry and he kind of sprinted up beside me and said, 'Kenny, don't do it, man. I know you're pissed off but don't do it,'" Omega recalled. "I said 'Jerry, I don't even know what I'm going to do. I feel like crying man.' He said, 'No, it's okay, nothing you did wrong. I'm pissed off, too, but hopefully you don't blame anyone in the match.'
"That was kind of the most upsetting part in that moment, is I don't know who to blame, who's at fault," Omega said. "I just feel so terrible for Jon, for Eddie [Kingston]. I even felt sorry for myself. I was like, 'Man, do we look like sorry saps.' It was nice to just sort of, as best as I could, scrub the finish and just think about how did our days' work look aside from that one technical flub? I was like, 'You know what? I really liked it, I really did, and it sucks that that last part is what's going to stick in everyone's mind."
Omega closed the conversation by stating that the experience made him want to rely on "as little people as possible moving forward."
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "The Sessions" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.