AJ Styles has officially shut down one of wrestling’s longest-running fantasy booking discussions, stating that a singles match against Kenny Omega is no longer happening.
During an appearance on Phenomenally Retro, the former WWE Champion addressed the decades-long fan interest in a one-on-one showdown with Omega and made it clear that the opportunity has passed.
“The same dream match that everybody wants me to have with Kenny Omega. The match that’s never gonna happen unless something crazy happens, and I can’t imagine that. Kenny’s my buddy, so to be in the ring with him would be fun, and we’d tear the house down, I have no doubt about that. But again, that’s not gonna happen.”
Although Styles and Omega are often linked together due to their histories with New Japan Pro-Wrestling and their reputations as two of the greatest in-ring performers of their generation, the pair never had a major singles encounter on a large national stage.
They previously wrestled each other twice on the independent scene in 2000 and 2006, but never collided in a featured singles bout during their peak years in either WWE or All Elite Wrestling.
The closest they came in NJPW was at New Year Dash 2016, where Styles and Omega teamed together in a tag team match to defeat Shinsuke Nakamura and YOSHI-HASHI shortly before Styles departed for WWE.
Styles admitted that timing ultimately prevented the match from materializing when fan demand was at its highest.
“I would like to have had a match with him anywhere, but it didn’t happen. You know, we just kind of ran out of time. I got too old, and we were in different places, and it is what it is. It just wasn’t meant to be, and it’s never going to happen. Just so I’m just throwing that out there: NEVER going to happen.”
Styles officially retired from in-ring competition earlier this year following his loss to Gunther at the Royal Rumble. Since stepping away from active competition, he has transitioned into a behind-the-scenes role within World Wrestling Entertainment, where he now focuses on scouting and helping develop prospects within the WWE Independent Development system.
Omega, meanwhile, remains one of AEW’s cornerstone stars and continues to be widely regarded as one of the top wrestlers in the world.
While fans may continue to speculate about the possibility of a crossover showdown someday, Styles’ latest comments appear to definitively close the door on one of wrestling’s most discussed dream matches.
