Was Kenny Omega in WWE?

AEW's Kenny Omega is regarded as one of the all-time greats in the wrestling world. The Best Bout Machine has worked for several wrestling promotions in his career, and he has proved his worth everywhere. That being said, many wrestling fans still have a burning question on their minds — was Omega ever in WWE?

The answer is yes. Kenny Omega spent some time with WWE, but he never made it to the main roster. The future world champion signed a developmental contract with the company in 2005. Omega was sent to Deep South Wrestling for a tryout, which he passed. He then got a full-time contract to wrestle in WWE's developmental territory.

But after he spent a year with DSW, Omega requested his release from his WWE contract. Since the end of this short stint, he has never returned to Vince McMahon's promotion, though he has reportedly received several contract offers. In 2018, The Cleaner spoke about how he didn't want to go to WWE; at the time, he was thriving in NJPW.

One of the most important takeaways from that interview was how he stated that he doesn't want to be a "robot." With this statement, he took a shot at WWE's micromanagement of promos and matches.

"Going back to the last question everyone is asking, if I will go to WWE? Right now the answer is no," said Omega. "I'm just having too much fun doing what I am doing. It really means a lot to me in my profession, to feel like I'm making a difference. I don't want to be a robot. I don't want to be controlled."

Omega also noted that he has friends in WWE, and he wished them the best. But he emphasized his goal to tell the kind of stories he's passionate about and implied that he wouldn't be able to do so in WWE.

Kenny Omega looks back on his match with AJ Styles

Kenny Omega recently spoke about an unknown singles match that he had with AJ Styles, who went on to become a WWE Champion. The former AEW World Champion revealed that the match with The Phenomenal One changed his life. In hindsight, he stated that this bout convinced him that he wanted to be a full-time wrestler.

"I had this great match with AJ, and at the time I thought like, “Wow, AJ is the top guy in TNA,'" said Omega. "'And If I'm kind of holding my own with a guy that’s that good, then maybe I should give wrestling more of an honest effort now that there’s actually an option again.' ...So I thought maybe I should give it one more try."

Kenny Omega is currently taking some time off becaus he needs to recover from some injuries that he's been dealing with. Fans are already eager to see The Best Bout Machine back in the AEW ring. When he returns, he'll aim to remind everyone why he's truly an elite wrestler.