Kenny Omega: We Knew AEW Was Meant For Hangman Page

Kenny Omega is no stranger to telling stories, having had long-term stories with the likes of Kota Ibushi, Kazuchika Okada, and the Bullet Club.

At AEW Full Gear, Omega will clash with Hangman Page in what would appear to be the blowoff to a story that extends since before AEW officially began.

“We don’t just bring just anyone into our group,” Omega told Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated when discussing Bullet Club accepting Hangman. “If there is one area where the Bucks and I have really honed in, it’s realizing the types of people that have potential for greatness in professional wrestling. This industry has no set of rules or a template for what creates a star. All you need is that raw talent, and it was clear Hangman had that. Hangman had a never-say-die attitude, incredible athleticism and a very clean slate in terms of major injuries. He had this southern cowboy-ish nature, and a personality behind the scenes—one that people now see on camera—of a very lovable human being. We knew this guy was going to be an elite performer. And once AEW came along, we knew this company was meant for him.”

The story between Hangman and Omega has told the tale of a man who struggled to fit in, was accepted, reject through his own personal demons, and found new friends.

When discussing the realness of the feud between the two, Omega said, “Both of us have put a lot of heart and soul into this. We haven’t been handed scripts or sat in production meetings to build this story. A lot of this comes from reality. Maybe we’ve sensationalized some of the details, but there is a lot of truth to the story we’re telling. There is real-life emotion attached to this clash. “After this pay-per-view ends, will I be able to take this story—the one that ‘Hangman’ and I have told—and place it amongst some of my favorites? Can I hang the ‘Hangman’ story on the mantle alongside the Okada story, the [Kota] Ibushi story, the Moxley story, The Elite story and the Bullet Club Civil War? Will the ‘Hangman’ story belong there? My hope is that it will.”

Hangman Page recently spoke to Men’s Health regarding the storyline and how much real emotion has been attached. You can view his full comments by clicking here.

Fightful will have live coverage of AEW Full Gear beginning at 7 p.m. ET with the Buy-In show. You can view the current lineup for the event by clicking here.