Tonight’s AEW Dynamite will be headlined by a non-title “Dream Match” between IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega and AAA Mega Champion El Hijo del Vikingo, a bout that has been in the works since 2021, according to AEW President Tony Khan.
Vikingo is often billed as the most exciting luchador in the world. Omega spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated to promote tonight’s match, and praised his opponent.
“Every Vikingo match has something embedded in it that we’ve never seen before,” Omega said. “It’s a very exciting time.”
Tonight’s match was booked after Khan reached out to Masked Republic’s Lucha Libre Agency, the group that manages all of Vikingo’s bookings outside of Mexico. While the AEW roster is full of potential opponents for Vikingo, Omega makes the most sense for his debut, given their history. Omega said Vikingo deserves a world stage to show what he has to offer on.
“I thought our eventual clash would happen in AAA on Mexican soil, but it’s an opportunity that fell into my lap,” Omega said. “I’m not the booker, I’m not the matchmaker, I don’t make the rules, but I have been given a chance to wrestle someone that’s going to change the way people think about wrestling and change the way we think about lucha libre. There is a sense of pride to help with this introduction of a new power player in professional wrestling. The way Vikingo’s captured people’s attention and conquered AAA, he deserves a world stage to show what he has to offer.”
Even more rare is an Omega match on Dynamite, which last happened in 2021 (oddly, in the same arena in Independence—and even more peculiar that it also played host to Omega and PAC’s outstanding 30-minute Iron Man match on the go-home show before the inaugural Revolution in 2020). Only 39, Omega has paid a price for putting forth years of nonstop grueling, physical bouts—but he is relishing the chance to make magic in the ring tonight.
This will be Omega’s first Dynamite singles match since the win over Alan “5” Angels on the November 3, 2021 episode, which took place in the same venue as tonight’s bout – the Cable Dahmer Center in Independence, Missouri. Omega said this will be a personal test for him.
“I love showing different wrestling cultures,” Omega said. “Lucha libre is an art unlike any other. Vikingo is a modern-day innovator and an incredibly talented practitioner of lucha libre. People are going to be in for a treat. This is also a personal test for me. He’s made a couple stops here in the United States with GCW and Impact, and had a couple barn burners, but I want to offer a different experience visually. I’m hoping that the marriage of styles will create something very unique looking.”
It was noted that as a student of the game, Omega understands that styles make fights, and that means tonight’s match will be the best of Omega vs. the best of Vikingo, not pure lucha, Japanese Strong Style, the classic North American wrestling style, or any other. Omega said he hopes people receive a different kind of experience from tonight’s match.
“AEW is somewhat of a gateway drug for people that want to see new types of wrestling and these types of unique matches,” Omega said. “We’ll always be accommodating to any talent on the planet—it doesn’t matter where they’re from, their shape, size, color, gender—who can display pro wrestling at its best. Pro wrestling is not just one particular style. A big motivator in creating AEW was unity. Coming together for one common goal, an open door to a platform for the best pro wrestling. By seeing two different sides clash, I hope people receive a different kind of experience from the encounter.”
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