Tag: Kenny Omega

IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega was Sean Waltman’s guest this week on the X-Pac 1-2-360 podcast. Omega spoke about a wide variety of topics, including:

• His “7-Star” match with Kazuchika Okada at NJPW Dominion
• If he feels pressure to fill Okada’s Shoes
• His reaction to WWE promoting The Elite’s video game battle against New Day
• His upcoming match against Kota Ibushi at NJPW G1 Climax
• Wanting to defend the IWGP title against Tetsuya Naito and Hiroshi Tanahashi

Here are some highlights of what Kenny Omega said about:

WWE Supporting The E3 Gaming Battle Between New Day & The Elite

“The amount of support I had from their side [WWE] was certainly surprising. And I’m thankful for it, we really went out and tried to do something new…I really think that we need to get out and explore other options as to how to make wrestling fun and cool again. How to kinda introduce what we do to a brand new audience and gaming was a way to do that. And The New Day… well especially Austin Creed/Xavier Woods himself, he has that really popular Youtube gaming channel and he’s always involved in anything gaming and we sort of have the video gaming rivalry because we can’t have an in-ring rivalry being part of two different companies.

To have the blessing of both companies, and the overwhelming support by WWE was really cool. It’s a possible big game changer, we broke a lot of records with just that event alone and I think it goes to show that all the companies and these wrestlers, we can play nice with each other and it is entertaining and that’s the type of involvement as champion that I want to have.”

His “7-Star” Match with Kazuchika Okada at NJPW Dominion

“A lot of thought and care went into all of that stuff [match layout].What moves are we gonna do? What are the finishes going to be? Of course that’s all part of it. It’s what story do we tell that compliments the other three matches that we’ve done? What story do we tell that leaves something open for a possible fifth match because even though we were never told there was gonna be a fifth match. I have a feeling there’s gonna be a fifth match. So I didn’t want to blow everything in that match.

I wanted to leave it so that there is gonna be another one. And I also still wanted to make it sort of based in reality where this is sort of the be-all-end-all and the match decides which one of us is superior for at least this point in time but I didn’t feel like we had to overkill anything. And there’s so many factors that go into it and I really tried to carefully consider them all. The story surrounding the match, the story within the match, the story that happens before, the story that happens after…

There’s so much to go over and I wanted each fall to look different enough from one another so that it did really look like three different matches. And I wanted all the matches to make both of us look good, I wanted them to highlight our strengths as performers.”

If He Feels Pressure To Fill Okada’s Shoes and His Goals As IWGP Champion

“No, I would feel pressure if there was the pressure to be a textbook wrestler, to be a textbook wrestler and have a textbook wrestler-ish run. Okada had that covered completely and he had done things that no one else could really ever do, he was one of the greatest title runs of all time.

Luckily, I’m kind of not the conventional wrestler and a lot of my matches visually appear similar to one another so my hope is to kind of have a very original looking run, where I am digging deeper into everyone’s character and kind of adding layers to the people I work with, so that way all of the defenses look different from one another. The matches themselves may even be different or original or whatever, so I don’t feel like I have to fill Okada’s shoes… Even though people may not prefer my run over Okada’s, I want them to kind of recognize it as something original and unique and hopefully enjoyable.”

His Upcoming Match With Golden Lovers Partner Kota Ibushi at NJPW G1 Climax

“I mean both of us think it’s too soon, both of us really had it in our minds that we don’t want to re-visit it unless it’s the Tokyo Dome because we get sort of too crazy with one another. And we push each others limits too far and it’s scary,  especially Ibushi and I always feel like I can’t be in this guy’s shadow so I have to meet his craziness and that just creates an endless circle of one-upmanship.”

Wanting To Defend The IWGP Title Against Tetsuya Naito and Hiroshi Tanahashi

“I would love to wrestle Naito in an actual championship capacity rather than just the G1. I’d love to wrestle Tanahashi because I feel that he was always the protected ace of the company and now he’s getting run down and beaten down and he knows that he’s sort of on his way out of being a top four guy. And I really want to have sort of a special moment with him if it’s possible. And I know he kinda hates me in real life… it’s like a professional jealousy thing that’s all it is {laughs}. Not actually hates me hates me, you know I love him but we love to hate each other because we have very different views on wrestling.”

Remembering Vader and How He Helped Kenny Legally Wrestle In Japan

“Terrible news. I was absolutely shocked when it happened. Especially since he just had just gone through that crazy surgery where it was just miraculous that he got through it all. You can never be prepared for news like that and luckily all the memories I have of Vader when I’ve met him in person were really really pleasant. He was always a very pleasant individual.

He was actually the reason I was able to get my first work visa in Japan. Because he had a promotion in Japan for a moment in time where he was running shows every three or four months. And if it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t have been able to legally work in Japan until actually signing with New Japan. Mostly because of Vader I was able to legally wrestle and make money in Japan.”

Celebrating His IWGP Title Win With The Young Bucks

“It’s funny we’d created this storyline where we would all kind of go splitsville. And we really pushed it to the extreme where we wouldn’t be seen in public we’d only talk to each other in private. In the Being The Elite storyline, we weren’t in any scenes together and the only actual physical altercation we ended up having was the match in Long Beach. So we sort of worked ourselves into a shoot brother. Where we were sort of actually forced to live out this lie where we were at odds with each other. So for us to finally kinda come together and in Japan too.

Another thing to mention is, it’s really Kayfabed out there. You can’t just go out to a restaurant after a show cause ‘hey it’s not the show anymore’. You have to continue, you have to keep faith and stay true to the angles. So we couldn’t hang out before shows, after shows, nothing like that unless it was in private. And usually, I’m always tied up with whatever after the shows… We never saw each other so for us to finally come together and have that as our first moment. Where it’s like ‘yes it’s okay to be friends again’ it was really emotional.”

Visit AfterbuzzTV for more information on Sean Waltman’s show.

The new IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Kenny Omega, recently spoke to Tokyo Sports. During the interview, Omega mentioned why, despite the many offers to go elsewhere, he chooses to stay in NJPW.

Kenny Omega in New Japan Pro Wrestling

We’ve run Omega’s interview through Google Translate, which doesn’t always lead to the most exact translations. Most of Omega’s sentiment still comes through, however.

“It was a really bout, I still have a pain in the whole body, but that’s why I felt again that I should stay in New Japan,” Omega told Tokyo Sports. “I want to evolve the business of professional wrestling.” 

“I was touched by Mr. Takagi who was still watching my game,” Omega continued. “I am thankful to those who cheer for me from the DDT era, and my style is to tell people that I have never seen a wrestling yet I want to increase new fans in the future.”

The Tokyo Sports article then concluded with the following statement:

“It is because Kenny’s constant efforts are widely known to be able to honor his accomplishment beyond nationality and genre. A foreign champion to be loved will be a new leader in the Japanese wrestling world.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3841EKmcF_8

Omega on Pro-Wrestling Revolution

Omega has consistently said he wants to evolve professional wrestling. He expressed the same desire during a pre-Dominion interview he gave to New Japan World.

“You (Okada) may be the best wrestler on the planet. I’ll admit it, you are,” Omega said “It’s not even an opinion thing anymore, this is something that you’ve proven. But you can’t say you are the best performer. That goes to me. If we’re going to move this thing forward, if we’re going to cause this revolution of professional wrestling and make it worldwide and something cool, we can’t just have the best natural wrestler steering the ship. We need someone who captures the imagination, who captures the heart. We need a professional wrestler and a showman. Which is why I’m doing everything in my power, to overtake your natural wrestling ability.”

Kenny Omega is the new IWGP Heavyweight Champion. He defeated Kazuchika Okada 2-1 in a Best 2-of-3 Match in Osaka, Japan this morning.

Okada’s record-breaking reign ends at 720 days and 12 successful title defenses (both all-time records).

The first fall was won by Okada. He reversed a sunset flip attempt into a pinning combination and got the 3-count at the 28:47 mark. There was then a 2-minute break between rounds.

Omega won the 2nd fall at 47:47 (total elapsed time) with a 1-Winged Angel. He won the 3rd and deciding fall with another 1-Winged Angel at 64:50 total elapsed time.

Following the victory, Omega embraced the Young Bucks, appearing to bury the hatchet with the brothers for the first time since Strong Style Evolved. Cody appeared on the ramp as well but decided to turn back after Omega invited him into the ring.

Changing the world (together). A new story begins. @MattJackson13 @NickJacksonYB @ibushi_kota #njdomininon #GoldenElite

— Kenny Omega (@KennyOmegamanX) June 9, 2018

66th IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega

Omega becomes the 28th person to win the title and begins the 66th all-time reign. He’s just the 2nd member of Bullet Club to win the title. AJ Styles won the title for the first time at Wrestling Dontaku 2014.

His post-match speech was brief but he said he can do anything with friends like the Young Bucks and Kota Ibushi. He referred to the 4 of them as “the Golden Elite.”

“Today, I defeated the greatest wrestler on planet Earth. This is a performance art. You can be a great wrestler but if the people don’t care, you aren’t worth a damn,” Omega explained.  “I give you (Okada) all the credit in the world for what you’ve done, the problem is the buck stops here. You’ve taken this company as far as you can domestically and I see so much more for this company. When I look at this company, I see the evolution of pro-wrestling.”

Omega’s 1st defense of the title could come on July 7th, 2018 when NJPW presents the G1 Special in San Francisco.

Kenny Omega will face Kazuchika Okada in the main event of Dominion on June 9th, 2018. It will be the fourth one-on-one match between the two.

Okada defeated Omega at WrestleKingdom 11. They met at last year’s Dominion event as well. That match went to a time limit draw. The last time they met was in last summer’s G1 tournament. Okada suffered a back injury in his previous match against Evil, which allowed Omega a slight advantage and the victory.

Kenny Omega recently sat down with New Japan World to discuss his upcoming title challenge on June 9th.

Kenny Omega Pre-Dominion Interview

“He’s done so much and beaten everyone so many times that he calls the shots! He makes the challenges; he makes the rules.,” Omega said on his opponent’s record-breaking title reign. “That’s the situation we’re in right now.”

In order to further break the deadlock between the two, their match will be a best out of two of three falls. Omega addressed the stipulation during the interview.

“Don’t give me a handicap, Okada. That makes it too easy for me. Let’s make this fair, 50-50, right down the line. That is why I wanted the best two out of three falls,” Omega said. “I know the secret to this match, Okada. The secret is in that first fall; I won’t let you take it. You’re not getting the first fall. I’m going to take the first fall and control the pace.”

Kenny Omega’s Motivation To Beat Okada

Omega also addressed his motivation for defeating Okada aside from winning the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

“You may be the best wrestler on the planet. I’ll admit it, you are,” Omega said “It’s not even an opinion thing anymore, this is something that you’ve proven. But you can’t say you are the best performer. That goes to me. If we’re going to move this thing forward, if we’re going to cause this revolution of professional wrestling and make it worldwide and something cool, we can’t just have the best natural wrestler steering the ship. We need someone who captures the imagination, who captures the heart. We need a professional wrestler and a showman. Which is why I’m doing everything in my power, to overtake your natural wrestling ability.”

NJPW Dominion takes place June 9th and airs live on New Japan World.