Paul Wight has accomplished just about everything there is to accomplish in his pro wrestling career. He’s won tons of championships, performed around the world, and is still involved with the business as a commentator for AEW.
He’s also 51 and had knee replacement surgery last summer, so Wight could be forgiven if he’d prefer to turn the page on his in-ring days. But he still hopes to get back in the ring at least one more time, and he has a very specific opponent he’d love to check off his bucket list.
Wight told Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso that if he’s able to get back to where he needs to be physically, there’s one AEW main eventer who would motivate him to do so.
“I want to get in the ring with Kenny Omega,” Wight told SI. “I want that real bad.”
Wight and Omega have never shared the ring together, primarily because they’ve rarely been in the same company at the same time. In addition, Omega has been injured during part of the two-plus years Wight has been with AEW, and Wight has had relatively few matches with the promotion in any case — just four total, and only one on a pay-per-view.
Still, Wight clearly thinks the world of Omega, both as a wrestler and a person.
“The way he sells, the way he puts his heart and soul into every match, so a match between us could be very believable,” Wight told Barrasso. “And as much as I like his wrestling, the guy in the back is even more impressive. He’s humble, hard working and works hurt. Looking at his aggressiveness and his heart, I think we could have one hell of a match.”
There would seem to be a pretty small window to make Wight’s dream match happen, particularly with Omega seeming undecided about his own future with AEW when his current deal is up. But Tony Khan has always done his best to give people what they want, and a Wight-Omega match would likely be pretty popular with fans as a “once in a lifetime” attraction.
Omega will be part of a dream match of another kind this Wednesday on AEW Dynamite, when he faces El Hijo del Vikingo for the first time ever.