Kenny Omega on inclusive Golden Lovers story, his wrestling future

AEW is in his Kenny Omega’s hometown of Winnipeg tonight (Mar. 15), and he was profiled by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Front Burner podcast ahead of the show.

In the piece, Omega was asked about his years-long Golden Lovers storyline with Kota Ibushi. The two friends’ partnership & rivalry played out during their time with Japan’s DDT and NJPW promotions, and was deservedly heralded as a trailblazing LGBTQ+-positive tale — especially within the pro wrestling world.

It’s a far cry from other stories about gay or gay-presenting wrestlers who were treated as “a punchline” or “bad comedy,” said Omega.

“I wanted to tell a story that whether you were straight, whether you’re gay, whether you are, you know, X, Y or Z didn’t matter. You could look at this story and you could appreciate the love between two individuals, the hardships of being in a competitive business, struggling together, struggling apart, [and] the power that they have when they’re focused together as a team.”

The other quote making the rounds from this piece is Omega’s answer when asked about his wrestling future, with reports out there that WWE will try to sign him when his AEW contract expires, and Tony Khan working to make sure that doesn’t happen:

“I always kind of try to find my own way, or at least try to lean in the direction of where my heart is pulling me,” he said.

“I haven’t had that sort of epiphany yet.”

There’s been speculation part of Kenny’s decision will be based on the importance he places on returning to Japan and/or finishing the Golden Lovers story with Ibushi. Both seem more likely in AEW, but WWE could make some concessions in order to make a statement by signing another EVP away from TK. Time will tell.

You can read the CBC’s entire article on Kenny Omega here.