Kenny Omega Wants To Bring Certain Aspect Back To Wrestling
One part of the art that is professional wrestling that will always stand out is brilliant storytelling with a great payoff.
While on Twitch with CEOGaming, the longest-reigning AEW World Champion Kenny Omega revealed which of his recent on-screen Championship stories he felt especially pleased with.
"I was confident doing everything through the whole entire 'Hangman' Adam Page story," Omega said. "That was a story about human lives, and I feel that as wrestling has progressed, it's become less about those a lot. And if we just become physical vessels that throw each other at the wall until one goes kersplat, like, that's the kind of wrestling I can't do anymore. That's when I got to know it's time to pack it in."
'Hangman' Adam Page had been attempting to win the AEW World Championship ever since AEW ran its first Pay-Per-View, Double or Nothing 2019, winning a pre-show Casino Battle Royale in order to be one of two men who would face off to become the Inaugural AEW World Champion at All Out 2019. Chris Jericho defeated Page to become champion, halting Page's plans for the time being.
Page attempted to receive a shot at the AEW World Title on different occasions after that, at Full Gear 2020 where he came up short, losing to Kenny Omega in the finals of the AEW World Title Eliminator tournament. Page had another opportunity blown when he, alongside the Dark Order, lost in a five-on-five elimination match against Kenny Omega, the Young Bucks, and the Good Brothers which, with a win, would've secured him a title match.
Page finally received his title opportunity on "AEW: Dynamite" on October 6th, 2021, defeating PAC, Andrade El Idolo, Jon Moxley, Lance Archer, Matt Hardy, and Orange Cassidy in a Casino Ladder match for the right to face Kenny Omega for the AEW World Title at Full Gear 2021. After about 25 minutes of in-ring action, Page walked away with the victory and the AEW World Title he had been longing for, for over two years.
Omega discussed the direction he believes the current generation of professional wrestlers is headed and what he would like to remind fans of.
"This entire generation is veering towards that one side of things," Omega said. "... There is less emphasis on character. There is less emphasis on a physical presence. It's almost, as difficult as it is to have that athletic daredevil in the ring, we have so many gifted and natural athletes that it actually is the easier route.
"I think Peak satisfaction for a lot of the fans is when they do get those storylines and the storyline pay-offs. So, maybe some people have forgotten about that, but I would like to have the chance to remind them of that coming back while still hopefully being able to deliver in the ring."
Omega has not been able to have the chance to tell stories in the ring since his match against Page where he dropped the title to the Anxious Millineial Cowboy due to multiple injuries and surgeries that he had to deal with last year. There is no exact timetable that is known for Omega to return, but he has claimed to have suffered setbacks and recovery has not been moving along as fast as Omega had hoped.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit CEOGaming on Twitch with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.