Kenny Omega Discusses “Ominous” Atmosphere In AEW

When Kenny Omega returned to AEW in 2022 for the first time, he felt like he was entering a completely different place.

Kenny Omega spent the first 2/3 of 2022 sidelined as he took time off to heal and have multiple much-needed surgeries. His highly anticipated return was met with an enormous reaction from the live crowd.

But behind closed doors, the atmosphere was different. There was less unity, camaraderie, and cohesion. And when he spoke to Renee Paquette on her Sessions show, Kenny Omega summed it all up in one word: “ominous”.

“I was happy that we were moving forward in a direction that didn’t necessarily require me. I felt that now was a good time to get the stuff taken care of. Then I felt like, eight months had passed and it was time to come back and it was kind of like the GIF of the dude walking in with the pizza boxes and the whole room was on fire.

I didn’t get it. What’s with this strange atmosphere? What’s with this strange aura? Why does something feel so ominous right now? I didn’t know and I couldn’t figure it out.”

Kenny Omega’s return took place on August 17, 2022. By that point in time reports had already begun to emerge that trouble was brewing backstage in AEW.

Eddie Kingston was alleged to have confronted Sammy Guevara over some comments said in a promo while the issues between CM Punk and “Hangman” Adam Page had started simmering but hadn’t yet reached the boiling point.

“Next thing you knew, there was more stuff happening. It’s so surreal because it’s almost like it never happened. It happened, of course it happened. I hadn’t even gotten familiar, or unfamiliar, with my surroundings backstage with the new AEW because there were new people in the locker room.

A lot happened in eight months. To come back and see old faces and be like, ‘Hey,’ but then feel this eerie, to feel like I was in Eerie, Indiana for a second.

Then, stranger things started happening and I was like, ‘Oh man, what do I do? This isn’t right. Someone needs to be the voice of reason. This is silly.’

Things fell off the rails and we were involved in a very silly situation that people are probably going to be talking about for months and possibly years to come, I don’t know.”

Just over two weeks after his return, Kenny Omega and several others would be suspended over events that took place backstage after the All Out media scrum.

h/t Inside The Ropes for the transcription