AEW's Kenny Omega Believes More Promotions Should Work Together: 'It's Doable'

AEW star Kenny Omega has weighed in on the recent situation surrounding the company where some of its stars have had their planned bouts with wrestlers from TNA Wrestling canceled. Ricochet and MJF were meant to face Leon Slater and Nic Nemeth in separate singles matches, but they were both canned after TNA President Carlos Silva cited "partner conflicts," leading to MJF verbally blasting Silva on a recent episode of "Busted Open Radio."

Despite some bad blood being in the waters right now, Omega stated in a recent interview with Sports Illustrated that he feels like collaboration between companies like AEW, TNA and even WWE is doable. "I do think that at the end of the day, if everyone were to really just sit down and figure out a way to make it happen, it's more than doable. We've seen it in other sports, other forms of media. This isn't just a thing that's unique to professional wrestling."

Omega used the example of how Marvel and DC have collaborated despite being competitors in the comic book industry, feeling as if having two entities that were never meant to cross paths is one of the most exciting things that can happen in wrestling. However, he understands that thought process might be a bit unrealistic, but he is still hopeful for the future.

"I really do think that with how passionately I do feel about working together with everybody and anybody, that I think Tony would hear me out and also entertain the idea as well," Omega said. "I think it'd be great for fans, and I think at the end of the day, too, it's only a net-positive for all of professional wrestling."

When trying to pin down why companies like WWE and TNA don't want to collaborate with AEW while they are still able to form partnerships with NJPW, CMLL, and MLP, Kenny Omega believes it all comes down to companies not seeing the upside of the situation.

"If you're in a bubble for too long and you failed to realize what exists outside your bubble and how small your bubble is, and in this case, we're talking about professional wrestling, I think you start to run into problems like this where someone will think that they're better than somebody else, and that there is no reason to work together, and they don't see the upside."

Omega has been at the forefront of collaboration for AEW in its early years, even winning the AAA Mega Championship and the TNA (then Impact Wrestling) World Championship in 2021 when AEW worked closely with both companies. However, AAA are now owned by WWE while TNA are in a working relationship with the company, but in an ideal world for Omega, all of those companies would be able to see the positives in working in an open industry that would benefit everyone.

"They can only look at the negatives and the downsides. And I still think that we're in a place where professional wrestling can still be more than what it is. And I do think that if there were situations where we could all play nice with each other, then I really do think that business as a whole would move in towards more of a positive direction, we'd see more of a positive trend."

While Kenny Omega believes that companies like WWE and TNA don't see the positives in working with AEW, he knows the real reasons behind these situations being so tough, politics and money.

"I understand with the amount of money that's at play, that's a very sensitive subject and a very sensitive issue," Omega said. "If we get to a point where we're starting to cross-promote or we're having wrestlers wrestle against talent affiliated with WWE, for example, it becomes a sensitive topic as to how do we promote that? Who wins? Who loses? And I don't say that, specifically as a who wins, who loses on paper, but I mean, who wins, who loses as a promotion? Who's going to come out looking like the stronger promotion, who's going to come out looking like they gained something from this scenario?"

Omega will challenge MJF for the AEW Men's World Championship at the upcoming Dynasty pay-per-view on April 12. "The Cleaner" knows that this might be his final chance to be the top guy in All Elite Wrestling, so while he might not get to work in a world where every wrestling company in the world lives in harmony, he at least wants to live in a world where he can reign over the company he helped create one more time. As for the relationship between AEW and TNA, it's unclear if wrestlers from both companies can work against each other ever again, but in wrestling, anything is possible.

Please credit the original source when using quotes from this article, and thanks to Sports Illustrated for the transcription.