Summary

Kenny Omega said the reception he has received from Canadian fans during AEW's recent stops in Winnipeg and Edmonton has been difficult for him to fully process.

Speaking on the Battleground podcast ahead of AEW Dynasty, Omega said he still finds it surreal to hear major arena crowds cheer for him in cities where he once worked in front of much smaller audiences. He described that reaction as especially meaningful after overcoming a serious illness.

The comments add another personal layer to Omega's current AEW run, which has already stayed in focus through stories around his place on the roster, including Will Ospreay saying Omega still pushes him forward in AEW.

Quote from Kenny Omega

Omega said returning to Winnipeg carried special weight because it is the city where he grew up:

"That part of things is very interesting. I mean, it's, it's because we started with Winnipeg and that's where I'm actually from. That's where I grew up and to see an arena full of people who I for sure a thousand percent have never seen before in my life. A lot, a lot of these people anyhow, to hear the cheers and to feel the adulation, it's just to me as someone who's always just, been so private, and even when I was in Winnipeg, I was never really outspoken too much. When I did wrestle in the indies, it was for a very small amount of people. So I would never would have thought anyone outside of that small little bubble would have known who who I was. But to see now, you know, the arena that the Winnipeg Jets play in, arena full of people that I have never met before know who I am and cheer for me and encourage me to to do well and to be happy that I've conquered this illness. It was a great feeling, and then, you know, we were in Edmonton just a few days ago and I had kind of told the story a little bit on TV, but I mean, that was a place that was very much the same as Winnipeg. I'd go there once a month and they, there'd be very smaller crowds, you know, maybe 150 people, maybe 200. I would look forward to that 14 hour drive every month and I'd feel like every performance I would get a little bit better, but I never would have thought that an arena full of people would know my name or be willing and wanting to cheer me. So, with all of these new locales that we're going to in Canada, I'm always blown away by the hospitality and the kindness of everyone. I'm not sure if it's just because I'm a fellow Canadian or who knows, maybe they like my wrestling too, but it's always very welcomed and always puts a smile on my face."

What Omega's reaction says about his AEW comeback

Omega's comments underline how much his comeback has connected with AEW crowds beyond a standard hometown pop. In Winnipeg and Edmonton, he was not just revisiting old stops from his independent career, he was seeing how far his standing has grown since those smaller shows.

There is also a clear career context here. Omega specifically tied the reaction to fans being happy that he had conquered his illness, which makes the response feel less like nostalgia and more like support for one of AEW's central stars getting another meaningful run.

Sources

As reported by Fightful.