The time of Kenny Omega as the reigning and defending AEW World Champion came to an end at AEW Full Gear 2021, nearly an entire year after he won the gold. His three-hundred and forty-six days as champion has seen him travel to different companies, win an array of belts, and defend his AEW title in some memorable matches. His time as champion made him the longest reigning AEW World Champion to date, and the second-longest reigning champion in the company’s history, behind Hikaru Shida.
What Do The Stats Say About Omega's Reign?
Omega’s AEW Championship reign saw him only defend the belt six times within a timespan of nearly a year. This doesn’t feel like too many defences, though he did also host some AEW World Title Eliminator matches, where if the challenger won, they would earn an AEW Championship match. Taking into the account the match where he won the belt, in addition to his matches in other companies, Omega won twenty-five matches, suffered nine losses, and wrestled to one draw. This is a fairly strong record and excluding his loss to Christian Cage for the Impact World Championship, his losses were received in multi-man matches where he didn’t take the fall.
He was well protected as champion, especially within the confines of an AEW ring. It would have perhaps helped if he hadn’t lost quite the number of times he did, but it often helped serve the story, and build up challengers. One positive to his sparse title defenses is that it made the eventual title matches feel more special. And it wasn’t as though he wasn’t wrestling still, as he had plenty of non-title matches too.
Were The Quality Of His Matches Up To Scratch?
When it came to Omega’s matches within the last year, he was back at the top of his game. The Omega that fans saw in NJPW had arrived in AEW, putting his body on the line, brutally running through opponents, and elevating the stock of everyone who stepped foot in the ring with him.
His title matches were all of a high standard. His initial win against Jon Moxley was on one of the more memorable episodes in Dynamite history, packed with controversy and an all-time great cliff-hanger. His defenses against Fénix and Jungle Boy were both high-quality affairs, and his series with Christian Cage exceeded all expectations with two phenomenal, polished, and hard-hitting contests. He also took part in many entertaining multi-man matches, most notably the Dark Order and Hangman Page taking on The Elite. His time as champion also includes his thirty-minute classic draw against Bryan Danielson.
One downside did come early in his reign, when his Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch against Jon Moxley ended with a dud explosion. However, both Omega and the company managed to overcome that disaster, and that is testament to the strong booking going forwards. One issue that did crop up within his title feuds, is that Omega was certain to win most, if not all of them, and fans knew that. It may have caused issues with tension in some defenses, but the quality of matches managed to counteract this, especially within his triple threat against Orange Cassidy and PAC, which produced some great false finishes. His matches are even more impressive when considering he worked with vertigo and other injuries during this period.
Did Kenny Omega’s Title Reign Help AEW?
Omega’s run at the top was a noteworthy reign. The night he won the belt signaled the opening of the Forbidden Door between AEW and Impact, which would ultimately help bridge the gap between the company and NJPW. Omega becoming ‘The Belt Collector’, holding not just the AEW Championship, but the AAA Mega Title, and Impact World Title too, helped spread the word and brand of AEW nationally and globally.
The times when Omega would walk out on the stage, draped in gold, will be an iconic image that will last forever. It painted Omega as one of the most important stars any time he stepped foot out the tunnel, with the AEW Championship always remaining as the centerpiece, elevating the prestige and importance of the belt. Omega’s star power was well felt, as he helped talents like Dante Martin and The Dark Order feel like bigger deals once they’d stepped foot in the ring with him.
He truly felt like an unstoppable champion, and despite his reign having what some could consider a predictable ending, with ‘Hangman’ Adam Page finally toppling his former friend, it was the perfect way to wrap up his reign. The night he lost it was just as pivotal as the night he won it, because it created a brand-new main event star, and it gave fans the satisfying conclusion to years of storyline. The relief, joy, and ecstasy felt by fans when Omega was finally beaten, showed how much of an effective and important champion he was. In conclusion, Omega's title reign was that damn good.