Gail Kim Further Addresses Comments About AEW’s Riho, Discusses Kenny Omega’s ‘Very Derogatory’ Tweet

Kim speaks candidly about the situation.

There was a conversation about AEW’s Riho that sparked on social media, stemming from a tweet made by Gail Kim. Kim received backlash for tweeting that Riho was not believable in a match she saw due to the former AEW Women’s World Champion’s size.

Kim also commented on Riho’s ring gear and noted that she looked like a ‘little girl.’ Kim further dove into that when she appeared on HUGE POP! with Donnie DaSilva and Jimmy Korderas. She said what she saw of Riho that led to her tweeting what she did was from a match Riho had in the earlier stages of AEW’s existence.

Kim said she does not watch the current product. She added that she finds it ridiculous that people wanted her to apologize for what she felt was a misinterpretation of what she put out there. Kim added that the reason she said Riho was not believable is because at the start of the match she watched, she noticed the cameraman shot directly up Riho’s skirt, and that made Kim uncomfortable because we’re in the ‘Jeffrey Epstein era.’

She went on to state that people who used to work at AEW reached out and said they agreed with her tweets. Kim said she has not seen any of Riho’s matches other than the one that led to her tweeting what she did.

“I’m a little feisty, I’m a little fiery, so when people come at me, I have this need to defend myself… I did budge from my stance because… the view that the AEW fans or maybe the Riho fans had, a lot of them were very misunderstood and I felt like got very twisted inside and out and backwards and forwards and every which way you can imagine. So, I tried to explain myself… I was not, in any way, saying anything bad about her. I was talking about my discomfort in a segment that I had watched, probably when AEW started, because I don’t watch AEW currently. I’ve tried a few times. Wasn’t really my cup of tea. I do support, of course, a lot of the wrestlers over there because our world is very small, and yeah, I always support the wrestlers and what they do. I gave my answer from a question that was asked. I think it stemmed from a Jim Cornette question, who is also very controversial, and I guess people who didn’t like my opinion, and maybe read people’s twisted interpretations of what was said, took it the wrong way… The (Dave) Meltzers of the world and people telling me I need to apologize. It’s just ridiculous in my opinion just because I don’t think he fully understands the situation, and like I said, I would have been happy to have a conversation just like we’re having right now. I always feel like having conversations clears up things so much more, besides standing behind or sitting behind a keyboard where you’re anonymous, whereas we are all public figures and we have to take accountability for what we say and they really don’t.

For me, I saw that one segment and I remember just feeling uncomfortable… Yes, she appeared to look very young, and then dressed, in that particular match, like a little girl, in my mind, and then when the cameraman — I think she was going up to the top rope — and I remember the cameraman shooting up her skirt, which, you know, happened a lot in my early wrestling days, where I had to go tell the cameraman or the production truck, ‘Hey! Stop shooting up my ass.’ So I felt uncomfortable and that kind of set the tone for the match. I’d honestly have to go look to see what match it was. It might have been Nyla (Rose), because it was very early on, and when I said she wasn’t believable in that match, it was just ‘cause I felt uncomfortable from the start, if you get my drift, in terms of — in this age of the child — you know, Jeffrey Epstein-era… I just felt really uncomfortable and then so, that’s what I meant by it and I actually had AEW — former people that worked there, say to me, ‘I agreed with you. I would be backstage and I felt the same way,’ and so, listen, not everyone’s gonna feel that way and by no means makes me think she’s current-day, not believable wrestler. I actually haven’t seen her wrestle again. Maybe clips online. But I can’t judge what type of wrestler I think she is today, and I’ve admittedly said that I haven’t watched their product in a really long time so, I’m happy to watch the product again and give my opinion on that, so, I would just hope that people have open minds…”

One of the responses to Kim’s tweets came from Kenny Omega. He noted that there was another legend ‘doing the splits on it’ for a TKO gift basket. Kim reacted to Omega’s comments:

“Even what he said though, was very derogatory. Again, 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?’” Kim laughed.

In the midst of the aforementioned social media conversation about Riho, Kim addressed claims that she reached out to AEW about working there.

Kim was let go from TNA Wrestling in early 2025. The current company President, Carlos Silva, explained why Kim was let go, and to read his comments, click here.

If the quotes in this article are used, please credit HUGE POP! with an H/T to Fightful for the transcriptions.