Kenny Omega Addresses Backlash To Lack Of Build For AEW Match With El Hijo Del Vikingo

The March 22 edition of All Elite Wrestling Dynamite featured the long-awaited first singles bout between Kenny Omega and AAA sensation El Hijo Del Vikingo, with the match announced on Twitter the previous week.

The lack of a build for the match - plus the marketing of it as a ‘dream’ match despite it being Vikingo’s first ever AEW appearance - was met with criticism from some sections of the wider wrestling world, and Omega himself has addressed such opinions, saying the following to Sports Illustrated:

“The two times I was most blown away were by individuals I’d never seen heading into the match. One was Rey Mysterio versus Psicosis in ECW, and the other was Great Sasuke versus TAKA Michinoku when they first appeared for WWF. That took me down a rabbit hole so far that it helped create the wrestler I am today. So the people that want to cast this match away because they’re not too familiar with the name Vikingo, I hope they give it a shot. Allow this young man to display what makes him so special. We’re going to more than earn our spot in the show, and you get to be part of that experience,” said Omega

Initial response to the match on social media has been overwhelmingly positive, with Vikingo unleashing moves and spots that have rarely if ever been seen on mainstream American wrestling television.