The inaugural AEW Redemption pay-per-view took place on Sunday, July 26, 2026, from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Everything came down to the main event, where Kenny Omega was prepared to lay it all on the line.
One of the night’s marquee matches saw Kenny Omega defend the AEW World Championship against rising star Kevin Knight. Naturally, fans were all wondering if Tony Khan was going to go all in with Knight’s push to give him a run with the company’s biggest title.
Kevin Knight entered this match looking to pull off the upset against one of the company’s most accomplished champions. On the other hand, Kenny Omega wanted to prove why he deserved to still be at the top of AEW.
This match had a ton of hype behind it. At Dynamite: Beach Break, Kenny Omega defeated MJF to win the AEW World Championship. On the July 15 episode of Dynamite, Kevin Knight stepped up to challenge Omega at Redemption.
Kevin Knight is already the TNT Champion, but he wanted to hold two titles in Tony Khan’s company. Naturally, fans were all wondering if he could pull that off against Kenny Omega. This match had a big fight feel, thanks to Justin Roberts’ ring introductions and the overall energy from the crowd.
Kenny Omega took everything that Kevin Knight could throw at him. Fans cheered Knight on, and he gave Omega his greatest hits, but The Cleaner kept going as he answered anything that Knight gave him. At the same time, Kevin Knight absorbed a ton of punishment from Omega.
There were a ton of near falls in this match, as one would expect. At one point, Knight almost won the match after slamming Omega on his title. Then he climbed to the top rope to nail a splash, but Omega got his knees up. Knight reversed out of a One Winged Angel, but then Omega caught him in the finisher and got the pinfall to win the match at teh end of the night.
After the match was over, Kenny Omega didn’t have a lot of time to celebrate. The Death Riders flooded the ring and they beat Omega down. Then Claudio wrapped a chair around Omega’s head to prepare Omega for death, but Will Ospreay ran down to stop him. Wheeler Yuta tried to get in Ospreay’s way, but it didn’t work. Will Ospreay chased the Death Riders off, because he wants to beat Omega on his own terms at All In on August 30.
Jon Moxley got in the ring after that and he approached Will Ospreay. He took the chair from Ospreay, but Will still wouldn’t let him get to Omega. Suddenly, Moxley pulled out a clear plastic bag and he handed it to Will Ospreay. After taking a minute to think about it, Will Ospreay tore up the bag and he turned to nail Jon Moxley with a forearm. Ospreay took care of teh whole Death Rider stable after that, including a Hidden Blade for Wheeler Yuta.
The Death Riders left after that, with Will Ospreay looking on. Kenny Omega continued selling the attack in the ring as Ospreay took off the Death Riders logo kneepad that he was wearing. Ospreay picked up the AEW World Title after that and he handed it to Kenny Omega before they shook hands to close out this historic first-ever pay-per-view event.
However, things weren’t done there. As Will Ospreay celebrated, Kenny Omega plucked him off the top rope and nailed a One Winged Angel. The Young Bucks got in the ring, and they were kind of confused, but the trio still posed as The Elite after that.
What’s your take on Kenny Omega’s career in AEW? How much longer can he remain on the top of AEW? Let us know what you think in the comments section!
