Kenny Omega Signs AEW Contract After Rumors of WWE's Interest

All Elite Wrestling has gained a much-needed building block after it came to terms on a deal with coveted free agent Kenny Omega on Thursday.

Speculation regarding Omega's future ran rampant after he dropped the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to Hiroshi Tanahashi in the main event of New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Wrestle Kingdom 13 on Jan. 4.

The Best Bout Machine was linked to WWE and AEW, while a return to New Japan wasn't out of the question, either.

Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks recently announced the launch of AEW, which is funded by Tony Khan, who is the son of Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham owner Shahid Khan.

Due to Omega's working relationship with Cody and The Young Bucks, he was a logical candidate to join the promotion as its top star. He will also serve as an executive vice president of the company.

Back in 2005 and 2006, he was part of the WWE developmental system in Deep South Wrestling. His stint was fairly short-lived, but he went on to become a major star on the American independent scene and in Japan.

Omega debuted for New Japan in 2010 and went on to achieve a bevy of accomplishments within the company.

In addition to winning multiple tag team titles, he was a one-time IWGP heavyweight champion, one-time IWGP intercontinental champion, one-time IWGP United States champion and two-time IWGP junior heavyweight champion.

Omega also took over for AJ Styles as leader of the Bullet Club and later branched off with The Young Bucks, Cody, Marty Scurll and Hangman Page to form The Elite.

During his time in New Japan, he had countless classic matches against the likes of Kazuchika Okada, Chris Jericho and Tanahashi, among others.

Omega is widely regarded as one of the best in-ring performers in the world, and that allowed him to become a household name among wrestling fans even without the WWE machine behind him.

By joining AEW, the 35-year-old native of Canada will look to prove he's a big enough star to help build another viable North American wrestling company alongside WWE.

There was some risk involved with joining WWE in terms of whether he would be pushed as a top star, but by signing with All Elite Wrestling, there is little doubt Omega will be the face of the company and a performer who is pushed immediately to the top of the card.

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