NJPW's Gabe Kidd Goes Off On AEW's Kenny Omega After Backstage Altercation

While things like AEW's "Brawl Out" do occasionally happen, most backstage altercations in wrestling are of the scripted variety. However, the recent NJPW brawl between Kenny Omega and Gabe Kidd is trying to root itself in realism, at least to some degree. At Power Struggle on November 4, Omega announced his in-ring return after a year-long battle with diverticulitis. During a press event afterward, Kidd confronted Omega, questioning his motives in choosing NJPW for his comeback. This led to an intense skirmish — though the presence of multiple cameras suggests it was planned. However, speaking to "Fightful Select," Kidd claimed cameras were there simply because Omega had just wrapped his interview.

"I knew where he was gonna be after he got off the mic," Kidd said. "I just went to talk to him. I've never spoke to the guy in my life. I mentioned his name when I was drunk on Twitter, and he wrote some paragraph back to me about, 'Maybe if you're lucky and win the G1 I'll bless you with the Kenny Omega touch.' I was like, you think I give a f*** about you, geez? I was just saying it because I know that there are some people who would love to watch me batter you." The current NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion also accused Omega of trolling him by deliberately saying his name wrong, referring to him as "Greg Kidd."

"All these guys, like MJF and Kenny, think they're acting so cool when they get my name wrong," Kidd said. "They obviously know it, and they're just trying to act cool in front of another bunch of uncool people, which are their fans." Omega's return announcement didn't mention an opponent, other than hinting it would be one of NJPW's top young talents. At 27 years old, Kidd would certainly fit that description.