Kenny Omega Admits AEW EVP Role Took Away His Creative Freedom

Kenny Omega has been part of the AEW family since day one as he is one of the company’s EVPs, apart from being an in-ring competitor. With that in mind, Omega has now revealed the struggles of being an AEW EVP.

While speaking to Adi Shankar, Kenny Omega opened up about the challenges that come with being an Executive Vice President in AEW. One of the most regrettable things for him after becoming an EVP is knowing that everything he says or does now has big consequences.

Omega noted that if the TV network doesn’t like something, or if fans complain, they could be taken off TV right away. That’s a lot of pressure, not just for the fans, but for all the people working at AEW.

“For me, one of the most regrettable things about becoming an EVP for AEW was that we were now responsible for everything we did or said. If something didn’t align with what the network wanted, or if it offended fans who filed a formal complaint, we could be taken off the air immediately. That’s a huge responsibility to have—not just to our fans, but to the hundreds of people employed at AEW. It made me miss the days when we were just a ragtag group of guys being creative, doing whatever we thought would entertain our fans and bring in new ones.”

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It made him miss the old days when it was just a group of wrestlers having fun and trying to entertain people. Omega noted how back in the day, it was just him, the Young Bucks, Hangman Page, and Cody Rhodes.

They were all respectful and never meant to hurt anyone. If they did something that seemed harsh, it was just part of the story they were telling. Kenny recently watched some old videos with the Bucks and laughed at how silly and fun those times were since everyone knew it was a joke, and the fans loved it.

“It used to be me, the Bucks, Hangman, Cody—we were all respectful, polite people just trying to do good things. We never tried to hurt anyone. If we did anything edgy or controversial in character, it was always to tell a story and had a purpose. But times have changed. I was watching some old clips with the Bucks recently, just laughing at how silly and fun things used to be. We knew we were joking, and the fans did too. They laughed with us and at us, and we loved that.”

However, Omega noted how things are different now. He noted that if they did the same stuff today, someone would probably get upset and try to cause trouble. Even if nobody really got hurt, people might still complain and feel empowered doing it. Because of that, Kenny says he stays quiet and just does his job. He feels like he can’t take the same risks anymore, and that makes the job less fun.

“Now it’s kind of sad we can’t do that anymore. Nobody got hurt by it back then. Nobody would get hurt if we did it now. But today, someone would get offended and try to hurt us in return, and they’d feel empowered doing it. So, I just stay in my shell now and do what I’m paid to do. That part of it is definitely a Debbie Downer.”

This comes after Kenny Omega previously admitted that he didn’t really deserve to be an EVP either. Regardless, Omega has simply accepted that things aren’t how they used to be, and that’s not going to change anytime soon.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.