Don Callis is confident in his claims about Kenny Omega’s talent because he has consistently proven he’s the best wrestler in the world and Rich Swann might do it someday, but he hasn’t yet.
Callis spoke with WrestleZone ahead of this weekend’s IMPACT Rebellion pay-per-view this Sunday, with the main event match pitting IMPACT World Champion Rich Swann against AEW World Champion Kenny Omega. Callis has praised Omega’s talents countless times, but also has not taken digs at Swann. Callis has been seen on IMPACT TV in recent months applauding Swann for his accolades and everything he’s overcome, but as much credit as he’s given Swann, he’s still quick to remind everyone that Omega is still on a completely different level.
“People might say, ‘Oh how can you say Kenny’s the best wrestler in the world and not say that about Rich.’ Well because Rich hasn’t proven it. He may prove it. I don’t know, I wouldn’t want to place a bet on this match. I mean of course, I’m gonna say it’s probably Kenny, but I don’t know. And the reality is, the difference is, Kenny’s proven it,” Callis said, “and I’m not just talking about AEW.”
“Kenny was the best wrestler in the world when I was calling his matches and traveling with him in Japan. He’s been the best wrestler in the world for a few years now. And so if people wanna say that that’s some sort of controversial term that should get heat or whatever, it’s like, well if it’s not him, who’s it been?” Callis asked. “Who’s been the best wrestler in the world for the last 4-5 years? If it’s not Kenny Omega, tell me who it is. And I would say that whether Kenny was my family or not.”
Read More: Tasha Steelz: Kenny Omega In IMPACT Is Making Us Turn It Up 10 Times More
As a better human being and a better athlete than anybody that has come before him, @KennyOmegamanX considers it an undeniable fact that he is the best to ever step foot in a ring. #ThisIsRebellion pic.twitter.com/lWX7vU4SUk
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 21, 2021
With as much as the main event has been hyped, Rebellion still features seven other solid matchups. Callis said it’s one that’s so loaded he’d buy a ticket if he had to, then said the main event is what people are talking about, but they shouldn’t sleep on anything else.
“This is a card that, me as a 30-year veteran of being around this industry, this is one of those ones where I would probably buy a ticket if I had to. I’m very, very excited about the Knockouts title match with Deonna Purrazzo and Tenille Dashwood, I think that’s gonna be great. You wanna talk inter-promotional angles, the Good Brothers, who are great friends of mine, facing FinJuice, who are two guys I spent a lot of time with in New Japan,” Callis said, “I like those kids a lot. That’s gonna be a phenomenal World Tag Team Championship match. And then a guy who hat I’ve had a lot of time for, Ace Austin, defending against TJP and Josh Alexander, that’s gonna be a great three-way for the X title.”
“Sami Callihan, someone who I’ve had a lot of negative experiences with,” Callis noted, “but you cannot deny the tenacity of him, against the returning Trey Miguel. I mean those are just some of the matches, but those are the ones that I’m really looking forward to. There’s no fill on any IMPACT [card.] Scott Amore and I have put on many pay-per-views the last three years. There’s never fill, there’s never popcorn matches. It’s all stuff that we think is seven-star, in our opinion, to put on. And I think that this pay-per-view, Rebellion, a lot of the buzz, like you say, is about the main event. [But] the card is stacked top to bottom, and it’s gonna be great.”
IMPACT Wrestling Rebellion was a historic pay-per-view that featured an unprecedented title unification match as its main event. Overall, the entire card was filled with exciting matches that delivered and fun surprises that left fans on the edge of their seats.
We break it all down, from Kenny Omega’s title win to W. Morrissey’s debut and everything in between:
