Kenny Omega has offered a deeply personal explanation for the message he gave Will Ospreay after their AEW World Championship match at All In 2026.
After Ospreay defeated Omega for the title, Omega wrote, “The rest is up to you, Will.” The message immediately carried the weight of a possible changing of the guard, particularly coming from a wrestler who has long set an exceptionally high bar for main-event performances. Speaking on The Anime Effect Podcast, Omega expanded on what he meant and made clear that his words were not rooted in disappointment over losing the championship.
Instead, Omega described a conscious belief that Ospreay is the performer best suited to take on the responsibilities that come with being a leading champion. In Omega’s view, that responsibility is not limited to winning major matches. It also means being visible, working an enormous volume of dates, reaching as many fans as possible and consistently delivering the kind of performances audiences expect from a top star.
Omega’s message to Ospreay carried more than one meaning
Omega said certain phrases can have a deeper resonance, including words borrowed from movies or anime. His public message to Ospreay was one of those moments. Behind it was a private conversation in which Omega expressed that the future had become Ospreay’s responsibility.
For more background on this topic, read Kenny Omega Details Injury Fears and Rainy Conditions Before AEW All In 2026 Main Event.
“It’s up to you now,” Omega recalled telling Ospreay, adding that he also said, “I don’t know if I can do it anymore.”
Omega was careful to clarify that he was not saying he is incapable of continuing as an elite wrestler. The issue, as he presented it, is whether he can still perform at the relentless pace that fans expect from a centerpiece champion.
He compared that feeling to All Might, the character from My Hero Academia, whose ability to use his power becomes increasingly limited. Omega’s comparison was not about a lack of passion for wrestling or an unwillingness to compete. It was about the physical and professional reality of maintaining a demanding workload while trying to uphold the standard he believes a major champion should represent.
“It’s not that I can’t do it,” Omega said. “It’s can I just not do it at the volume that the fans expect me to do it?”
That distinction is central to Omega’s reasoning. He continues to hold himself to the same standard he wants from an AEW World Champion: someone capable of giving audiences the biggest and best version of the product. If another wrestler can defeat him, earn the devotion of fans and carry that responsibility across a broader schedule, Omega sees that as something AEW needs to embrace rather than resist.
A champion’s role goes beyond one match
Omega spoke about the difficulty of developing new stars and the importance of protecting them once they begin to connect with the audience. He believes a wrestler who has earned genuine admiration and support must be given the conditions needed to thrive.
For Omega, that means more than positioning someone prominently for a single night. It means building an environment where the champion’s momentum can continue, where their performances can be seen by fans in different places, and where the company recognizes the value of a wrestler who can inspire sustained enthusiasm.
“It’s so hard to find new stars,” Omega said. “When you do, you have to make sure that you’re gonna give them an environment where they can thrive.”
Ospreay, in Omega’s estimation, fits that description. Omega pointed to Ospreay’s evident motivation after returning from what he called a “very scary surgery.” He also highlighted Ospreay’s willingness to remain active despite the scale of his major commitments.
Omega specifically noted that Ospreay still has a home in the United Kingdom but wants to appear on every show. He also referenced Ospreay working a local independent event the day before the biggest match of his career at Wembley. To Omega, that willingness to keep moving, travel and perform reflects the hunger needed from a wrestler who is going to lead from the front.
That appetite is something Omega openly said he cannot match anymore. The admission was candid, but it was not framed as surrender. Rather, Omega presented it as an honest assessment of where both men are at this stage of their careers and what Ospreay is prepared to give the audience right now.
Why Omega settled on Ospreay
Omega said he had effectively made a mental decision that Ospreay would be the person to take the next step. That decision was based on more than Ospreay’s ability inside the ring, though Omega clearly believes he possesses the talent needed to deliver at the highest level.
The former champion also focused on Ospreay’s ability to seize the imagination of the audience. In Omega’s view, the most meaningful stars do not simply have acclaimed matches. They make fans emotionally invest in them through the heart and intensity they show in their performances.
Ospreay’s work ethic was equally important to Omega’s decision. A champion who can take on a heavy schedule gives more people the opportunity to see that championship presence in person. Omega said he wants as many cities and countries as possible to see Ospreay as champion, making the title run about reach as well as match quality.
“I want as many cities and as many countries to see Will Ospreay as champion as possible,” Omega said.
That statement underlines the significance of Omega’s outlook. He is not discussing Ospreay merely as an opponent who got the better of him at All In. He is discussing him as someone capable of serving as a visible representative of AEW on a large scale.
Omega’s comments also suggest that he sees the responsibilities of the title as a collective benefit for the promotion and its audience. If the champion is hungry, available and able to captivate viewers, the championship becomes a platform through which the entire company can grow its connection with fans.
Not disappointment, but confidence in Ospreay
Although phrases such as “passing of the torch” are often used in wrestling when an established main-event figure loses to a newer standard-bearer, Omega did not firmly label the moment that way. He said people can call it that if they wish, but his central feeling was simpler: he was happy that the championship went to Ospreay.
“I don’t feel like I’m disappointed for losing the belt,” Omega said. “I feel the opposite.”
He explained that Ospreay is, at this point in his career, hungrier than he is and better able to take on the schedule Omega believes fans deserve from the promotion’s main-event champion. That is not a dismissal of Omega’s own status or accomplishments. It is an endorsement of Ospreay’s current capacity to carry a demanding role.
There is a notable generosity in Omega’s assessment. Championship losses in professional wrestling can fuel resentment, rematches or a renewed fixation on reclaiming the top prize. Omega instead spoke about the larger value of recognizing a performer who is ready for the opportunity and supporting that performer’s ascent.
The All In result therefore stands as more than a title change in Omega’s eyes. It was a decision about who should carry the standard at a time when Ospreay’s drive, availability and audience connection appear to be at a peak.
What the statement means for AEW’s main-event picture
Omega’s comments do not say that he is stepping away from wrestling, nor did he state that he can no longer compete at a world-championship level. His point was about volume, sustainability and the unusual demands that come with being the wrestler expected to lead a promotion’s most prominent schedule.
Still, his words give added meaning to Ospreay’s All In victory. Omega sees Ospreay not simply as the man who beat him, but as the wrestler who can deliver both the performances and the presence required of a champion in the present moment.
That confidence may prove as meaningful as the championship itself. Omega has set a formidable standard for what fans expect from an AEW main event, and he believes Ospreay has the hunger to meet that challenge. For Ospreay, the message following All In was direct: the opportunity is now his, and Omega expects him to make the most of it.
In pictures
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.