Kenny Omega has credited AJ Styles for keeping his career on track nearly 20 years ago and inspiring the creation of All Elite Wrestling. While speaking to CBS Sports to promote the AEW Full Gear Pay-Per-View, Omega looked back on a 2006 independent match against Styles in Winnipeg for PCW. This stood as the only singles match between the two wrestlers.
Omega noted that he had requested and was granted his release from WWE’s developmental territory, Deep South Wrestling, prior to the match. He admitted that he was unsure if he would continue in the industry after leaving the WWE system.
Omega said: “I wasn’t sure if I’d continue wrestling after I left developmental… [I thought the bout with Styles would be] a good last match. We had no interactions ever before, but there were moments in that match that really felt like the give and take felt so symbiotic. The chemistry was naturally there. I thought, ‘Wow, this is what wrestling someone at this level feels like. I’m not embarrassing myself. Maybe I’m not exactly keeping up, but I’m not embarrassing myself. Maybe if I push myself harder, I can reach this level.’”
Omega and Styles crossed paths again a decade later in NJPW. Omega eventually assumed the role of Bullet Club leader. This transition occurred through an angle where Omega and the Bullet Club turned on Styles, booting him from the group as he left NJPW for WWE.
Omega stated: “AJ, having a keen sense of what’s best for business, knew exactly how to go along with it. In a way, by his turning his back and allowing for that moment to happen, whether he knows it or not, that led to the forming of The Elite. Ultimately, it kind of led to AEW. Him being involved in our lives is very pivotal for [AEW] and our careers.”
