AEW's Kenny Omega, Young Bucks and 'Hangman' Adam Page Agree to New Contracts

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Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks and "Hangman" Adam Page agreed to new AEW contracts Wednesday ahead of the 200th episode of Dynamite.

AEW confirmed the news on Twitter after it was initially reported by Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated:

Barrasso noted that all four members of The Elite, who were integral to the creation of All Elite Wrestling, signed multiyear contracts to remain with the company.

AEW president Tony Khan said the following Wednesday regarding the re-signing of four of the company's top stars:

"The Elite have been so important to the launch of AEW, with The Young Bucks going all in when I first approached them in 2018 about my dream to create an international pro wrestling promotion. Shortly after that, their partners and closest friends Kenny Omega and 'Hangman' Adam Page joined us to formally launch All Elite Wrestling. All four of them have been instrumental to AEW's success from the very first episode of Dynamite in 2019 through the present day.

"Now, as we celebrate tonight's 200th episode of Dynamite, I'm excited to share that Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, and Hangman Adam Page will all be staying in AEW for years to come. We look forward to celebrating the great news with fans around the world."

The official creation of AEW was announced on Jan. 1, 2019, and it was clear at the time that the promotion would largely be built around The Elite.

Omega and The Young Bucks were named executive vice presidents of AEW in addition to being performers, and they will retain those roles moving forward. Cody Rhodes, who was the fourth EVP, left AEW last year to return to WWE.

Page is not an EVP, but he is the on-screen ally of Omega and The Young Bucks, and has been positioned as a top star since AEW's inception.

There had been rumblings, rumors and speculation about The Elite considering a move to WWE—particularly Omega—but all four members decided to continue building the company they helped create.

Omega seemed to confirm to Barrasso that other options were considered, saying:

"I was careful to weigh out all options and was open minded to all possibilities. I'm here to help whomever I can while I'm still around.

"Up to this point, I've made the choice to sacrifice everything in the name of pro wrestling. I can't say that family or my kids influenced the decision to stay with AEW—I'm not married and without kids—but what I can say is that I'm incredibly proud of my match catalog and the wonderful people I've met and continue to meet. AEW not only allows me to continue doing what I do at a high level, but allows the freedom to pursue some other passions I have in life—which, after nearly 25 years in the ring, have become more and more important to me."

Matt Jackson, who is one half of The Young Bucks with his brother Nick, admitted that the importance of The Elite to AEW played a role in their decision to stay:

"We're literally the 'E' in AEW. The Elite are the main characters of this company. No matter how different AEW is now from its original inception, we are the DNA. And if you lose the foundation of your home, it eventually collapses. It'd be a lie if I said that didn't weigh on us, when making the decision."

Omega, The Young Bucks and Page were all global professional wrestling stars before the creation of AEW, holding championships in New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Ring of Honor.

Their star power has translated to AEW, as Omega and Page are both former AEW world champions in addition to previously holding the AEW World Tag Team Championships together. The Young Bucks are two-time AEW world tag team champions and two-time AEW trios champions with Omega as well.

AEW has signed some huge names since its original incarnation, including CM Punk, Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, Adam Cole and Saraya, among many others.

Because of that, the company likely has enough star power outside of The Elite to thrive, but watching four central figures in the creation of AEW go to a competitor like WWE would have been a bad look for a growing company.

AEW ensured that wouldn't happen by locking in The Elite for the long haul, creating good vibes ahead of not only the 200th episode of Dynamite, but also the Aug. 27 All In pay-per-view at Wembley Stadium in London, which is trending toward hosting one of the biggest crowds in wrestling history.

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