How Winnipeg's Kenny Omega became the biggest wrestling star that most Canadians never heard of

Read the full interview transcript

In the early 2000s, you might have been one of the few to see Kenny Omega wrestling in a ring set up in a Winnipeg bar, to an audience of dozens.

Fast forward to this Wednesday night, and he'll be headlining AEW: Dynamite, the flagship show of U.S.-based All Elite Wrestling, in front of thousands of fans there in his hometown. 

"It's cool to have a televised wrestling product come back to Winnipeg, and have people that are about to watch what we do live, and on a grand scale, at the arena. So I'm very excited. It's very cool," he told Front Burner's Jayme Poisson.

Omega was one of AEW's foundational performers when it was formed in 2019 with the backing of American billionaire Tony Khan.

This will be the first time he wrestles at Dynamite in front of a Canadian crowd. But when asked about this homecoming, Omega is quick to praise other Winnipeggers who made a name for themselves in the ring, which include one of his opponents tonight, Chris Jericho.

"Winnipeg is actually a very deep and rich wrestling culture. There's a lot of great stars that are from Winnipeg … that are going to go down in the history books as legends in the business," he said.

"I think it's really important for us to embrace our Winnipeg wrestling culture. We love our hockey. We love our curling. Let's love our wrestling, too."

Beyond a short stint in its developmental sub-leagues, Omega — real name Tyson Smith — has never competed for World Wrestling Entertainment, the undisputed champion of pro wrestling in North America. 

He built his reputation in untelevised shows in smaller U.S.-based wrestling shows and later becoming a megastar in Japan, he was virtually unknown in Canada until recently.

"I think a