Kenny Omega has dipped his toes in a lot of different avenues.
He's a pro wrestler -- one of the best on earth. He's an EVP, overseeing AEW's women's division. He's an entrepreneur in the gaming industry, helping the development of AEW games, and now has his own supplements as a part of REDCON1. If one of those falls through, it seems like Omega has a contingency plan in order.
We've heard Cody Rhodes discuss wrapping his career up in a few years and even being a senator. Does this mean Omega has an idea of when he's going to be finished in the ring? He actually already thought he'd have to at one point.
"I remember right before we did the AJ Styles turn. But earlier on in the year before, I had a very terrible herniation in my neck. It was the first time I ever had asked for time off in professional wrestling. I lost all power on the right side of my body and I thought that that was it. I thought that I was going to have to wrap it up and maybe I was already sort of winding down. I was able luckily enough to to turn it around. I think one of the greatest things I can ever ask for is being able to decide what time that is. It'd be great if I could, but unfortunately, as wrestlers, and doing what we do, we sometimes don't have the ability to choose. In a heartbeat, these things can just fade and or they can be taken away from you. So all I'm trying to do is just kind of dip my fingers and toes as much as I as long as I can. I'm making sure that all these things that that I do take on as responsibilities are things that I enjoy outside of wrestling so that, you know, there's never a dull moment," Omega told Fightful in an exclusive interview.
There are plenty of wrestlers who have stayed around far too long than their body's allow. With Omega's physical, fast paced, innovative style, it leads to many wondering when that will catch up to him. Even though he's a busy guy, he's aware that these peripheral activities could become primary ones in an instant.
"Things that I do in the video game, world anime and, bodybuilding, fitness, all that stuff, these are interests of mine outside of wrestling. So I'm keeping busy. But I just want to make sure that if for some reason something happens in the ring, or outside of it, or whatever, you never know what's going to happen, that I exit without regrets. Right now. I could not put a number on how long I will be active as a performer. I don't want to say that I'm going to do it until I just can't physically do it anymore. It's a scary thought. Hopefully, I just know when it's time and until it is time, I'm just going to try to burn the candle on both ends and go out in a blaze of glory rather than just kind of hang around in a ring longer than I should," Omega said.
As mentioned, Omega has set himself up for several fields, with the latest being his V-Trigger pre-workout with REDCON1. In promotion of the line, we asked him if his adjustments in schedule, geographical location and work life has led to him leaning more on supplements and being cognizant of what he ingests.
"As the schedule gets more hectic and as I get older, and find myself traveling more and spending more nights in hotels; really being able to supplement, and supplement efficiently, becomes paramount. You might not be able to get nourishment via real food when you need it because you're burning the midnight oil or you're out working until four in the morning. Doing drives to McDonald's at 4 am, for my lifestyle, isn't great for me. I'm going to go to bed not feeling well and I'm going to wake up not feeling well either. It's great to have these options for these moments in need when you need to snack on something or whether you need vitamins or a pick-me-up. Redcon was there for me before we signed a deal and I was always happy to use their products as a customer. To now represent that brand and also use their products is a real game-changer. To be part of the creative process of product formulation is really cool and really fun. Just because I'm making a product doesn't mean I'm making a product and stepping away from it. I'm a user and believer of these products on a day-to-day basis. I've found a great partner to create with because what they create is very transparent with their labeling as far as exactly how much is going in and what's going in, it's very safe. We'll be in big box stores everywhere and they hold their product to high standards. It's cool to really have a product that keeps actual human health and safety in mind," said Omega.
We were sent along the following to gain some more information on Omega's line:
REDCON1 is not just a prominent name among bodybuilders, but also pro-wrestlers and fans. In the past year, Singerman noticed many of the REDCON1’s consumers were also fans of professional wrestling or the wrestlers themselves. Last year, he started searching for a partner in the wrestling community, and discovered Kenny Omega, who Sports Illustrated named both wrestler of the year in 2017 and top male wrestler in 2018 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2020. Omega is not only an elite athlete spanning a 20 year career as a global wrestling superstar, but also a like-minded businessman. In addition to being an owner, executive and wrestler for AEW, Omega is lead on creative for the new AEW Games a separate organization that is launching a Next Gen console game and two mobile games.
After using Redcon1 products for over a year, Singerman decided to bring Omega, dubbed “the best in-ring performer alive” to the team. Omega will work with REDCON1 to develop a line of his favorite products and apparel. This not only marks history for REDCON1, but also for the professional wrestling industry, as Omega is the first wrestler to be directly involved in a sports supplement brand developing products.
You can see our full interview with Kenny Omega at the top of the page. You can learn more about his REDCON1 Products at their official website and at this link. Omega is set to compete for the AEW World Championship at December 2's AEW Dynamite on TNT.
