Kenny Omega is looking back at a pivotal moment from nearly twenty years ago, one he credits not only for changing the trajectory of his own career, but for ultimately helping lay the groundwork for what would become All Elite Wrestling.
In a new interview with CBS Sports promoting this weekend’s AEW Full Gear pay-per-view, Omega reflected on his lone career singles bout with AJ Styles. The match took place in September 2006 for PCW in Winnipeg, shortly after Omega had asked for and received his release from WWE’s Deep South Wrestling developmental system.
Omega admitted he wasn’t sure he even wanted to keep wrestling at that point, and viewed the match as a potential final chapter in his career. As he told the outlet:
“I wasn’t sure if I’d continue wrestling after I left developmental… [Thought the bout with Styles would be] a good last match,” Omega recalled. “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 would cross paths again nearly a decade later in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, with Omega rising into Styles’ former spot as Bullet Club’s leader. The transition played out through the memorable angle in which Omega and the group ousted Styles as he prepared to leave for WWE.
“AJ, having a keen sense of what’s best for business, knew exactly how to go along with it,” Omega said, praising Styles for handling the situation perfectly. “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.”
One of the founding fathers and original EVPs of AEW then went on to outright credit ‘The Phenomenal One’ for helping to inspire the launch of what would become AEW.
“Ultimately, it kind of led to AEW. Him being involved in our lives is very pivotal for [AEW] and our careers.”
AEW Full Gear 2025 is scheduled to take place this Saturday, November 22, 2025, live from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Keep up with all of the AEW Full Gear 2025 spoilers and news updates here at WrestlingHeadlines.com leading up to Saturday’s highly-anticipated pay-per-view event.
Make sure to join us here at WrestlingHeadlines.com on 11/22 for live AEW PPV results coverage of AEW Full Gear 2025!
- ALSO AT WRESTLINGHEADLINES.COM: WATCH: AEW Full Gear 2025 Live Stream Video Of Countdown For November 22 Pay-Per-View (VIDEO)
