Kenny Omega’s return to All Elite Wrestling was a seminal comeback – but was it as great as Kane’s original WWE debut?
Kenny Omega resurfaced in AEW after spending time on the injured shelf with a litany of physical issues, reuniting with The Young Bucks on the 17 August Dynamite broadcast. Alongside the Jackson brothers, ‘The Best Bout Machine’ advanced to the semifinals of the inaugural AEW World Trios Championships tournament.
His return has been heralded, but Vince Russo has since compared it to Kane’s initial arrival in the World Wrestling Federation. Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling’s Wrestling Outlaws show, the veteran wrestling personality made the bold comparison:
“Wow, bro, it could have been [Kane having the best debut ever] because, man. I’m a firm believer in setting the table. You know, Brian. They did something on the AEW show. When I say setting the table, Brian [James] knows what I’m talking about.”
Kane made his WWE debut at the 1997 Bad Blood pay-per-view under the In Your House lineage. ‘The Big Red Machine’ interrupted the inaugural Hell in a Cell match between Shawn Michaels and kayfabe half-brother The Undertaker, laying out the latter with a Tombstone Piledriver in one of wrestling’s most acclaimed moments.
Kenny Omega, meanwhile, returned after a nine-month layoff, having last been seen at Full Gear in November. He dropped the AEW World Championship to ‘Hangman’ Adam Page before taking much-needed time away to nurse his body.
Omega will next wrestle on the upcoming AEW Dynamite broadcast. Teaming with The Young Bucks, they’ll face United Empire’s Will Ospreay and Aussie Open in the semifinals of the aforementioned World Trios Championships tournament. Should they win, they’ll meet either The Dark Order or Best Friends in the finals at All Out.