Add as a preferred source on Google Kevin Knight will challenge Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship at Redemption, set for July 26 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. The opportunity, however, reportedly came directly from MJF’s backstage influence.
According to Fightful Select, MJF was one of the main creative forces behind the idea of putting the TNT Champion in a match against Omega. He argued that Knight should be Omega’s first challenger following the title change.
Knight’s name reportedly wasn’t a specific requirement from the start. Still, MJF backed him for the position and was said to have also supported his entry into the Don Callis Family.
AEW’s original plan called for MJF to face Omega at Redemption, but the former champion himself reportedly pushed for the match to be moved up to the July 8 episode of Dynamite: Beach Break. Omega won that night and began his second reign as AEW World Champion.
The storyline behind Knight’s opportunity had been building since June 10, when MJF put the TNT Champion on his team for the feud with Mark Briscoe and promised him a future shot at the AEW World Championship.
Knight arrives at Redemption having set the record for ten successful defenses in a single reign with the TNT Championship.