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What’s the story?
In an interview with Titlematchwrestlingnetwork.com, Kenny Omega credited AJ Styles for helping save the former’s career.
Apparently, Omega was ready to hang up his wrestling boots before a great match with Styles persuaded him to give the sport another try.
In case you didn’t know…
Kenny Omega competed in the sport of professional wrestling primarily in his native of Canada, before trying his hand at the big leagues including the WWE’s developmental territories in the mid-2000s.
Nevertheless, it’s a well-known fact in pro-wrestling circles that Omega was almost on the verge of quitting the business as he didn’t achieve the levels of success he desired early on in his career. Regardless, Omega persevered, and rose to prominence since joining Bullet Club in 2014.
The heart of the matter
Kenny Omega recalled the time an indie promotion he wrestled for brought in AJ Styles; revealing that the special matchup with Styles was in fact going to be his last match.
Nevertheless, the match turned out to be incredible, and Omega recalled how he had second thoughts about his retirement after experiencing Styles’ athleticism, timing and skills as well as the crowd’s electric reactions. Omega added that the encounter with Styles persuaded him to go back from Canada to the United States of America and try his best to meet and compete with elite athletes such as Styles.
Furthermore, Omega explained how even back then Styles was a huge star and didn’t really need to come and wrestle him for a small indie promotion. However, Styles did show up and compete against him in a match which seemingly turned Omega’s life around and stopped him from quitting the sport of professional wrestling.
What’s next?
Kenny Omega recently defended his IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship against WWE/WCW legend Chris Jericho at NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom 12.
Omega is considered by several fans and experts to be one of the greatest pro-wrestlers today, and continues to enjoy tremendous success in NJPW and the indie pro-wresting circuit.
Author’s take
Kenny Omega seems to have experienced a eureka moment in his life with the aforementioned matchup against AJ Styles a few years ago.
It’s awesome to see someone as talented as Kenny grind through obstacles and finally reach the pinnacle of his profession. Well, one has to wonder how Omega could thank Styles for the same. Perhaps a showdown in the WWE between ‘The Cleaner’ and ‘The Phenomenal One’ could do the trick.
