Gail Kim: Kenny Omega’s tweet toward me was ‘very derogatory’
Image: AEW
Gail Kim has been in the spotlight the past few weeks for her comments on X about former AEW Women’s World Champion Riho and in a new interview, she addressed one of her higher profile critics: Kenny Omega.
The issues began when she responded to fans on X regarding a clip of Jim Cornette speaking about Riho. Offering her own take, Kim said on X she felt uncomfortable while previously watching her matches due to the camera work feeling improper and Riho being dressed “like a very little girl.” She also said that Riho’s size makes it hard to believe she would be competitive in a division with larger women.
Omega seemingly responded to that opinion on X, posting “Another day and another ‘legend’ doing the splits on it for the yearly TKO gift basket…”
Kim later responded to Omega’s post, writing “If you’re trying to beat around the bush and misinterpret things like the rest of the yahoos, let me clarify that you are wrong.”
In talking on the Huge Pop podcast Thursday, one of the hosts brought up when wrestlers get involved in those online conversations and the topic of Omega came up. Kim said Omega should have just mentioned her, tagged her or direct messaged her so there was no ambiguity to who he was addressing.
She later said what Omega wrote about her was “very derogatory.”
“…He was probably reading things online and believing the AEW fans who twisted all the messaging, in my opinion, I don’t know. Maybe he did read my original answer. But, to say I do the (splits)… I didn’t even know what that meant at first. I’m like, ‘What do you mean I do the splits for TKO?’ I’m like, ‘What is he talking about?’”
During the interview, she reiterated her comments were not about Riho specifically, but her lack of comfort with a segment she had watched when AEW first started. She said she doesn’t watch AEW currently, but supports several wrestlers there.
She said she’d be happy to have open conversations about her comments, but being asked to apologize by some critics like Dave Meltzer “is just ridiculous.”
Kim also said she and GCW owner Brett Lauderdale made amends after her X comments about deathmatches and an A24-produced documentary about them that Lauderdale responded to. She admitted she didn’t know a documentary was being made, and that she has never been a fan of that kind of match.
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.