IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega has major praise for Jon Moxley ahead of their Steel Cage match on tonight’s AEW Dynamite.
Moxley spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated earlier this week to discuss the match, history with Omega, The Blackpool Combat Club vs. The Elite, which you can see here. Omega also spoke with Barrasso for Sports Illustrated and commented on the mutual respect between the veteran pro wrestlers.
“There is a mutual respect,” Omega said. “We respect where we’ve been, what we’re trying to do and where we’re going.”
While Omega feels blessed to have some people say he’s the best, he believes Moxley has earned the honor of being the top star of AEW in the company’s short history.
“If I’m being honest, the MVP of AEW hasn’t been me,” Omega said. “It’s Jon Moxley.”
Moxley made his AEW debut at Double Or Nothing 2019, attacking Omega after his loss to Chris Jericho to become the inaugural AEW World Champion. Omega reflected on the beginning of their feud, and admitted that he was overshadowed by Moxley and Jericho that night.
“I remember watching The Bucks wrestle The Lucha Bros. that night, and to me, I felt there were so many high-risk maneuvers,” Omega recalled. “It took such a high barrier of entry to perform these moves and in an aggressive manner. It really was exactly what we wanted to show as professional wrestlers. Even the Battle Royale was so much fun, getting a taste of so many wrestlers you hadn’t seen on mainstream wrestling. You had a great story between brothers with Cody and Dustin [Rhodes]. In its own way, that became something you wouldn’t see anywhere else because of the blood. It was a friggin’ bloodbath. I hadn’t seen blood like that in a long time. I wasn’t sure if I’d have my own moment on that show.
“I felt like my contribution was once Jon showed up. He lifted me up and threw me off the chips. Maybe people thought I would be more of a difference-maker on that show. I lost against Jericho, then I got my ass beat by Jon Moxley. Sort of the final shot was seeing me through the stage that never broke—I just hit it hard—and Moxley was on top atop those chips. What I was able to give to that show was less than I hoped for. Moxley overshadowed me. Jericho really overshadowed me. Coming in with my notoriety from Japan, I had the highest standards for myself.”
Omega continued and praised Moxley as the best in AEW, and said it’s now beautiful that they can reignite the feud.
“For AEW, Jon’s been the one. He’s been at almost every show. He’s bled at almost every show. There is no one higher on the blood-giving list. Maybe that’s what makes this feud so interesting,” Omega said. “It’s someone with the notoriety from Japan against someone who was a top player from WWE. And Jon hasn’t stopped working. I was injured, but now that I’m healed up, it’s beautiful that we can restart the song and dance between Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley.”
After Moxley’s debut at Double Or Nothing 2019, he would go on to defeat Omega in an Unsanctioned Lights Out match at Full Gear 2019, but Omega defeated Moxley for the AEW World Title on the Winter Is Coming edition of AEW Dynamite on December 2, 2020. Their last match was Omega retaining the AEW World Title over Moxley in the Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch at Revolution 2021. Omega gave an analytical look at the feud, and explained the motivation and story arc of both characters.
“We go out of our comfort zone and see if we can thrive in the world of our opponents, and that’s really important to remember when examining Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley,” Omega said. “Our first-ever match was the Lights Out match, which is not supposed to be in my wheelhouse. Oppositely, after Jon came to AEW, he went out to Japan in the G1 [Climax tournament] to see what it was like to be Kenny Omega.
“The dichotomy of our characters is interesting, as is the evolution of it. If you really dive deep and analyze what makes us who we are, I lost that Lights Out match. So what’s the next progression from there? For me, it was to take shortcuts. After that, I decided to flip it on its head and deliver an even more violent match, the Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch. It’s like I’m always chasing the dragon. It’s not enough for people to say I’m the best professional wrestler. I want to beat Moxley at his strong suit. I want to thrive in a world of violence, even more so than Jon. That’s what I’ll convey in the cage this week. I want to be better than Jon.”
The AEW Executive Vice President admitted that the time on his clock is running out, but commented on how he guarantees he will work to make every performance special. Tonight’s Steel Cage match will continue The Elite vs. The Blackpool Combat Club, and Omega promised that it will be grueling, violent and physically demanding.
“Time is running thin on the Kenny Omega clock,” Omega said. “I can guarantee anyone that sees me perform live that there is a reason for that performance, and I work to make every one special. I wanted this one to be unique and very fun for people who tune in and people who are there live. And I know how competitive Jon is. This will be a grueling, physically demanding and violent cage match.”
He continued, “Jon isn’t looking at this as just another show or just another Dynamite. He’s looking at this as a reason to show he’s the best. I’ll be there to do the same, to remind people why I am.”
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