AEW Executive Vice President Kenny Omega has made his first public comments on the fallout from the AEW All Out incident in September.
Omega spoke with Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso this week and discussed the post-All Out locker room brawl that resulted in the suspensions of Omega and Executive Vice Presidents The Young Bucks and CM Punk, as well as the release of former AEW Producer Ace Steel. Omega was questioned about what happened that night.
“There are things no one can talk about, so I’d encourage people to let it go,” Omega said. “It doesn’t change that we want a team effort in AEW. I don’t even mean implicitly myself and my opponent. It also means the referee, the fans, the people who set up the ring, everyone–even a technical error can ruin the memory of a match. I can refer back to the exploding barbed wire death match. So I encourage people to move away from it because there is no information to be released. Though I cannot talk about it, I do want the fans to know I still want the best for pro wrestling.”
Omega cited the recent deaths of actor Jason David Frank and the Colorado Springs club shooting as examples of how his goal in pro wrestling is to unite, not divide. Omega stated that this is not a battle between The Elite and Punk.
“The day after the pay-per-view, I was absolutely devastated by the loss of Jason David Frank,” Omega said. “He’s one of my childhood heroes. That evening, there was a mass shooting at an LGBTQ club where five people died. It’s absolutely terrible. After such tragedy, it puts everything in perspective.
“This isn’t Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks against CM Punk. It is people trying to show off their craft. You can boo Kenny Omega, or the Young Bucks, or CM Punk, but I hope people don’t forget we’re human beings struggling to show our art.”
The Elite returned to the ring this past Saturday at AEW Full Gear, but were defeated by AEW World Trios Champions Death Triangle. The second match in their Best Of 7 Series will take place tonight during AEW Dynamite from Chicago.
