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Tag: Kenny Omega

  • Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho Hype Video, Omega On Gaming With Current WWE Star

    Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho Hype Video, Omega On Gaming With Current WWE Star

    – A hype video has been released for IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega’s clash with former WWE Champion Chris Jericho at Wrestle Kingdom 12 in Tokyo, Japan next month:

    – Giant Bomb has an article with Omega and WWE star Xavier Woods naming their top ten video games of the year. In the article Omega and Woods discuss gaming with one another as they’ve both run into each other at gaming conventions over the years, and have built up quite the friendly rivalry.

    “Two men met on neutral ground (the rolling hills of The Netherlands) for their yearly meeting where they argue, eat, play video games, almost fight, and talk about their top 10 games of the year… This is their 2017 story.

    Kenny: Another year and another top 10! Last year, my good friend Austin and I had so much fun working together, we thought we’d do it again in 2017. I anticipate our lists will be a little different from each other, so this should fuel some very fun and… friendly debate.

    Austin: Yes, fun and friendly are the words that I would use for it. I’ll start off by saying that I am honored to be doing another top 10 list with one of the greatest, creative, and most charismatic performers that I have ever met in my life. The one, the only, KENNY OMEGA!

    Kenny: And I am glad to introduce a man with the greatest YouTube gaming channel going today, one of the most versatile, intelligent, and talented humans on this Earth… AUSTIN CREED! And you know what…? I’ll say it. I thought you were all just trombones, pancakes, and shenanigans… but heck, you’ve been no slouch in the ring this year either!”

    You can check out the full article here.

  • Chris Jericho On Surprising NJPW Fans With Kenny Omega Angle

    Chris Jericho On Surprising NJPW Fans With Kenny Omega Angle

    Chris Jericho was recently a guest on WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross’ podcast, The Ross Report, to discuss his upcoming “Alpha vs. Omega” match against IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 12 next month. “Y2J” discussed surprising New Japan Pro Wrestling fans with how involved he has been in the build-up for the bout, and how talented Omega is inside the ring. You can check out the highlights here below:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiV4Mwfp24w&t=7s

    Surprising NJPW fans with his involvement in the feud’s build-up:

    “I think when this match was made, Alpha vs. Omega, Jericho vs. Omega, a month-and-a-half ago in Osaka [Japan] or wherever it was, it makes me laugh that people think, ‘Jericho announces a match, here we go, it’s going to be a big match, we’ll see you in Tokyo [Japan] in a few months on January 4 [2018],” said Jericho. “As if I wouldn’t do something to build an angle. I’m too much of a disciple of Vince McMahon/Bill Watts/Stu Hart. Any great promoter would do an angle to build the match, to sell the tickets.

    “So once again, in Fukuoka, Japan and I attacked Kenny Omega from behind, nobody saw that coming. And I love that! To me, that’s what [pro] wrestling’s all about. When you can surprise the fans and the ‘smart marks’ that think they know everything, but they don’t know anything, it makes me laugh because even you, Jim, would understand as an old school guy, of course I’m going to build an angle! Of course I’m going to do that. That’s what wrestling is!

    “Honestly, yeah, the match is important. We want to have a good match. I love good matches, but who cares? The most important thing is the story and the angle building towards that match and selling the biggest amount of tickets we can, okay?”

    Omega’s talent inside the ring:

    “He’s a great performer,” Jericho said. “He’s a great worker. And once again, it was pretty heavy stuff. And [Ross] know[s] this, in 2017, for some reason, if you get busted open, your mentor Gordon Solie, ‘his face is a crimson mask’ and that’s what it was. And we don’t see that a lot. For me, I think it has been 10 years since someone has been busted open in a match that I was involved with and it felt good.

    “There [are] certain rules and regulations that we have to abide by in the United States, in the WWE at this point in time, so to come into New Japan and have no rule, but there [are] still rules, I mean, listen, I understand the concept of [pro] wrestling, so I know what to do, but to have Kenny Omega busted open and to feel that, maybe, power, vibe, or energy, there’s nothing like it.

    “And in the right circumstances, when you can bust somebody open, when you can get some color, as we used to say, it means the world because people understand that more than anything. This is the real deal. After 10 years to have a guy I’ve never been in the ring with, to see the reaction of the people, the reaction of the worldwide audience, and to see those pictures that were taken of Kenny Omega with the aforementioned crimson mask, wow, that sells tickets!”

    You can listen to Chris Jericho on The Ross Report by clicking this link here.

  • Kenny Omega Talks Facing Chris Jericho At Wrestle Kingdom 12, Shinsuke Nakamura’s WWE Run

    Kenny Omega Talks Facing Chris Jericho At Wrestle Kingdom 12, Shinsuke Nakamura’s WWE Run

    Kenny Omega recently spoke with Sports Illustrated to talk about various topics including his upcoming match against Chris Jericho at Wrestle Kingdom 12 next month. Here are the highlights:

    Shinsuke Nakamura’s WWE run:

    “I’m happy for the response that he’s getting, of course, and all of us in New Japan knew when he left that he was going to get over with his charisma. But when I see Nakamura in WWE, it’s hard for me to say he’s done anything compelling in-ring since he’s been there, which is a shame. It will just take the one right story and the one right moment and then people will be captivated by everything that he does. Right now, he hasn’t had that.”

    “Even to another degree, everything in WWE is super over-booked. Some people in WWE even need the steps and their footing in the ring choreographed. They have to pace their breathing before they even go through with a match in the ring. When you’re used to dealing with people who need that match management, who need to have that much choreography in their matches before they go out there and perform, then when a guy like Nakamura–who is this new age ‘strong style,’ and a lot of that is based off emotion and feeling and fighting spirit–wrestles someone who needs marks on the ring so that he can get his footing right with a set of instructions, that’s where Nakamura’s style gets lost in translation. Everything starts to come across as soulless, if that makes any sense.”

    His match with Chris Jericho at WrestleKingdom 12:

    “I really want this match to be a wake-up call to New Japan and WWE. This match is going to open up a lot of eyes, and it’s going to invoke a feeling you’ve never felt when watching a wrestling match. It’s a clash of unique worlds, and the match we’re going to show with aggression, violence, and disdain is going to evoke a new kind of emotion from people watching.”

  • Stipulation Added to Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho

    Stipulation Added to Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho

    New Japan Pro Wrestling recently announced there will be a No DQ stipulation in the Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho match on January 4th, 2018.

    Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho

    The new stipulation comes on the heels of multiple incidents during the World Tag League final. Jericho attacked Omega at the event, drawing blood in the process, something NJPW is reluctant to use. Omega then attacked Jericho at the WK12 press conference the next day.

    Stipulation matches in NJPW are rare but becoming more common with stables such as Suzuki-Gun and Bullet Club having utilized them in recent years.

    Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho is expected to be the semi-main event for the show, with Kazuchika Okada defending his IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Tetsuya Naito in the main event.

  • Kenny Omega Comments On The Use Of Blood In Chris Jericho Feud

    Kenny Omega Comments On The Use Of Blood In Chris Jericho Feud

    New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) star and IWGP United States Heavyweight Champ Kenny Omega recently did an interview with Rolling Stone to discuss his upcoming match with Chris Jericho at Wrestle Kingdom 12 next month.

    “The Cleaner” discussed NJPW executives being okay with the use of blood in his segment with Jericho, his feud with Jericho standing out in a somewhat family-friendly NJPW product, and how he thinks things will be this time next year with NJPW rolling out to the United States. Here are the highlights:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3Qp-Yy7WpQ

    NJPW executives being okay with the use of blood in his segment with Jericho:

    “I’ve been lucky where I’ve asked for a little bit of trust from the company. When you put yourself in a situation like that, you either hit consecutive home runs or you’re dead in the water, because there’s a lot of money on the line, there’s a reputation on the line. And a lot of times I really forced them to step out of their comfort zone. Between last year’s G1 and now with Jericho, I have done a lot of things the company isn’t necessarily comfortable with, but they’re seeing positive growth from it. Drawing blood is a faux paus. They don’t like it at all. Our parent company makes its money through anime and card games.”

    His feud with Jericho standing out in a family-friendly NJPW:

    “Yeah, and even if it wasn’t what they’ve been expecting, we want to give them something completely different from what’s gonna be on the rest of the card. And not just different because, ‘Hey, it’s a WWE legend coming in to invade New Japan.’ From how we went about it, how we’re going about it and how we will execute the match, we want it to stand out from anything in recent memory. It’s really important for us to do that.”

    How he thinks things will be this time next year with NJPW rolling into the United States:

    “It’s hard to picture what the situation is gonna look like. [Omega Vs. Jericho] is a real self-contained story that can maybe only happen once, but I’m excited to see where it leads because it’s showing more of my range and a little bit of self-discovery on my part. I’m able to explore now this side of pro wrestling that is generally regarded here as taboo, but it’s the wrestling I grew up watching.

    “It goes back to the territorial stuff with Ric Flair, the way he’d promote his matches. You can’t do it anymore. There’s always an A, B and C point you have to hit, and things are overly scripted and micro-managed, and now we’re gauging by how everything feels. Everything that this match evolves into has been an organic evolution, and that’s why we haven’t lost people yet.”

    You can check out Omega’s full interview with Rolling Stone by clicking here.

  • Triple H Comments on Kenny Omega vs Chris Jericho

    Triple H Comments on Kenny Omega vs Chris Jericho

    Triple H recently conducted an interview with CBS Sports and revealed his opinion of Chris Jericho facing Kenny Omega in NJPW.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3Qp-Yy7WpQ

    Triple H on Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho

    Triple H seems happy for Jericho, Omega, and everyone involved. Here is what he told CBS Sports recently:

    “I think it’s great. Good for Chris,” Levesque said. “It’s phenomenal. Good for Kenny, good for New Japan. We were aware. That was a conversation that was had.”

    “It’s great, it’s good for him,” Levesque added. “Chris is one of the greatest talents in the history of the business, so I think it’s great. Good product is good product. I’m happy for them, happy for Chris and happy for everybody.”

    the full interview can be read here.

    Chris Jericho on Clearing the Match with Vince McMahon

    Triple H also confirmed Jericho’s comments earlier this week regarding having cleared the match with Vince McMahon.

    Jericho had this to say on the “Busted Open” radio program:

    “I know [McMahon] wasn’t upset because I called him six weeks before and told him as soon as the deal was done,” Jericho said. “I would never surprise him like that. I didn’t ask him for his permission, but I didn’t have to. I told him what was going on — and to be quite frank for you guys, he was super excited about it.”

    “If you know Vince, he loves wrestling. It’s what he knows, and it’s what he knows best. I think, obviously, his mission is to seek and destroy and kill every other company, but I think he secretly likes it when other companies do good, because it just makes it better for his company.”

  • Kenny Omega Attacks Chris Jericho at WK12 Press Conference

    Kenny Omega Attacks Chris Jericho at WK12 Press Conference

    One day after Chris Jericho attacked Kenny Omega in Fukuoka, Omega has returned the favor. Jericho was being interviewed at a Wrestle Kingdom 12 press conference when Omega struck:

    Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho Wrestle Kingdom 12

    Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho will face each other for the IWGP United States Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 12 on January 4th, 2018. Omega is the inaugural holder of the belt, having won a tournament at the NJPW G1 Special in Los Angeles earlier this year.

    Wrestle Kingdom 12 lineup:

    1. Killer Elite Squad (c) vs. EVIL & Sanada – IWGP Heavyweight tag titles
    2. Cody (c) vs. Kota Ibushi – ROH World Championship
    3. Roppongi 3K (c) vs. the Young Bucks – IWGP Jr. Heavyweight tag titles
    4. Marty Scurll (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi vs. Will Ospreay vs. KUSHIDA – IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship
    5. Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Jay White – IWGP Intercontinental Championship
    6. Kenny Omega (c) vs. Chris Jericho – IWGP United States Championship
    7. Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito – IWGP Heavyweight Championship
  • Chris Jericho Notes Following NJPW Appearance

    Chris Jericho Notes Following NJPW Appearance

    In case you weren’t aware, Chris Jericho made his long awaited return to New Japan Pro Wrestling this afternoon and laid a brutal beatdown on his Wrestle Kingdom opponent Kenny Omega.

    Following his appearance Jericho mentioned that the Bullet Club inspired ‘Alpha Club’ t-shirt that he was sporting will be available to purchase soon via Hot Topic.

    Jericho also appears to be ingratiating himself with certain members of the CHAOS faction in New Japan…Will Ospreay posted the following to Twitter from a karaoke bar with his “new best mate.”

  • Chris Jericho Ambushes Kenny Omega At NJPW’s Tag League Final

    Chris Jericho Ambushes Kenny Omega At NJPW’s Tag League Final

    Chris Jericho made a surprise appearance at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Tag League Final and delivered a brutal attack on IWGP US Champion Kenny Omega.

    In 6-man tag team action, The Elite (Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) defeated CHAOS (SHO, YOH & Rocky Romero) in 6-man tag team action. After the match, another Chris Jericho video was shown on the big screen while Omega was in the ring. The lights went out and Jericho appeared in the ring behind Omega. Jericho attacked Omega drawing blood and hitting two codebreakers. (Video)

    Commentator Don Callis entered the ring to get Jericho to back off. He received a codebreaker of his own. The Young Bucks hit the ring to tend to Kenny Omega, with Callis being is carried out on a stretcher.

    We have to admit, it’s pretty surreal to see Chris Jericho in a NJPW ring. Jericho and Omega will square off next month at Wrestle Kingdom 12 on January 4, 2018 from the Tokyo Dome.

    You can watch NJPW’s Tag League Final now at NJPWWorld.com.

    https://twitter.com/MrLARIATO/status/940181540264448001

  • Tetsuya Naito Responds to Kenny Omega’s Claims of Wrestle Kingdom “Double Main Event”

    Tetsuya Naito Responds to Kenny Omega’s Claims of Wrestle Kingdom “Double Main Event”

    Wrestle Kingdom 12 is set to take place on January 4th from Japan’s legendary Tokyo Dome. There are two matches on the card which have arguably driven more ticket sales and generated the most hype: Chris Jericho vs Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada vs Tetsuya Naito.

    Kenny Omega recently spoke to Yahoo Sports in Japan and commented on the buzz surrounding his upcoming match with Chris Jericho. He made mention of the mainstream U.S. appeal of this bout and how it could create a “double main event” feel to the show next to the IWGP World Heavyweight Title match.

    Tetsuya Naito also spoke to Yahoo Sports and responded to ‘The Cleaner.’ Naito stated that “One, I’ve been through this. I’ve been called ‘double main event one. It doesn’t mean anything. It’s the semi main event.” Of course alluding to his previous G1 Climax 2013 win wherein he did not go on to main event the next year’s Wrestle Kingdom due to a fan vote.

    He went on to say “Two, if you truly respect that you lost to me, then you don’t need to pull this ‘double main event’ stuff. If anything, cut the crap and say ‘let me be the main event’. Say what you mean. Third, you’re saying the US belt is now number two, not the IC belt. So you and Jericho and Jay White and Tanahashi should be the ‘double semi main event’ then, surely? Maybe the US title match is getting more focus abroad. But who will eyes be on at the Tokyo Dome?”

    Credit to Chris Charlton for the translation

  • Kenny Omega Reveals Which WWE Star He Would Bounce Ideas Off Of

    Kenny Omega Reveals Which WWE Star He Would Bounce Ideas Off Of

    New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) star and IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega recently did an interview on The Art Of Wrestling podcast. “The Cleaner” discussed the heat he has within the professional wrestling industry, most notably his heat with WWE, wrestlers who criticize The Elite, and revealed which WWE Superstar he used to bounce ideas off of. You can check out the highlights here:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiV4Mwfp24w&t=4s

    Getting heat in the professional wrestling industry:

    “I never purposely try to get heat with anyone. I try to just be a good human being, but with the way that we carry ourselves, just the way we run our show, our matches or whatever, heat’s just going to come with it.”

    Being fine with having heat with WWE:

    “If someone says to me, ‘hey, you probably have heat with this guy, or this guy, or this guy, in The Fed or The E,’ or whatever you want to call it, I don’t really pay too much attention to it because I know I haven’t done anything directly.

    “I’m never actually directly trying to offend anyone from any other [pro wrestling] promotion. If someone says I have the greatest match of all time, that’s great. I’m going to use that to make my next match mean something or make the rematch mean something more.”

    Wrestlers who criticize The Elite can not perform to The Elite’s level:

    “Maybe I’m going to catch a lot of heat for saying this right now, but I think what all these people need to understand is whether they like it or not, and whether they’d like to admit it or not, is all three of us, we could go where they are and do what they do and do it better, but they could never do what we do.”

    Bouncing ideas off Sami Zayn (a.k.a. Rami Sebei):

    “The live house opinion is going to mean a lot, of course, because you can feel it, you can hear it. But yeah, but, like, if I ask The Young Bucks’ opinion that is pretty much the opinion that counts the most to me. Back in the day, like, before I was with The Young Bucks all the time and I was in DDT, it was always Rami, ‘Rami, what did you think?’ and if Rami gave it a stamp of approval.”

    You can listen to Omega’s interview on The Art Of Wrestling by clicking here.

    H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

  • Chris Jericho Takes A Shot At The Bullet Club (Photo), Triple H Cuts A Promo On Jinder Mahal (Video)

    Chris Jericho Takes A Shot At The Bullet Club (Photo), Triple H Cuts A Promo On Jinder Mahal (Video)

    – As we’ve noted, former WWE Champion Chris Jericho will be taking on Kenny Omega for New Japan Pro Wrestling at Wrestle Kingdom 12. Omega is a member of the infamous Bullet Club; which has seen high-profile members such as Finn Balor, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, The Young Bucks, and many more.

    The tagline for Jericho and Omega’s match has bee deemed “Alpha vs. Omega,” and it seems Jericho has launched the “Alpha Club” in a slight jab towards Omega and The Bullet Club. “Y2J” posted the following picture of himself wearing an Alpha Club t-shirt which you can buy here. All proceeds go to The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BcDil_SDcUm/

    – Triple H and former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal will be going head-to-head in the main event of WWE’s live event in New Delhi, India on December 9th. WWE posted a video of Triple H cutting a promo on Mahal from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando. Check it out:

  • Jericho vs Omega Making a Difference to Wrestle Kingdom Ticket Sales?

    Jericho vs Omega Making a Difference to Wrestle Kingdom Ticket Sales?

    In case you weren’t aware…Chris Jericho will be making his return to New Japan Pro Wrestling when he faces IWGP United States Champion Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 12 on January 4th.

    This once in a lifetime match appears to be making a huge difference to the sale of WK tickets, reports indicate that sales are up a staggering 80% from this time last year, that equates to 20,000 from October 25th – November 25th in 2017 as opposed to around 11-12,000 in 2016.

    Whether this rise can be attributed solely to Jericho/Omega can of course be disputed, however stars within the company, including ROH Champion Cody Rhodes are certainly attributing a major portion of the sales to the massively hyped match:

  • Kenny Omega On How WWE Tried To ‘Cripple’ The Bullet Club

    Kenny Omega On How WWE Tried To ‘Cripple’ The Bullet Club

    New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) star Kenny Omega recently did an interview with WSVN-TV Entertainment reporter Chris Van Vliet to talk about a variety of professional wrestling topics. “The Cleaner” discussed WWE telling he and The Bullet Club to stop using the “Too Sweet” gesture, and of course his Wrestle Kingdom 12 match with Chris Jericho. You can check out the highlights from the interview here:

    WWE trying to ‘cripple’ The Bullet Club by banning them from using the “Too Sweet” gesture:

    “We don’t need Too Sweet. We never did. They think that by taking away Too Sweet they’ve crippled us somehow. Like ‘Oh, we’re really sticking it to them, now they’re not going to sell any merchandise.’ It’s not the case. We couldn’t care less.”

    His Wrestle Kingdom 12 match with Chris Jericho:

    “It’s a match that I’ve been looking forward to for a long time and I don’t mean particularly Chris Jericho, I just mean something of that magnitude. If I couldn’t be in the main event, which I couldn’t this year, I still wanted the chance to steal the show. I still wanted the chance to be the match that was talked about. So Chris Jericho has given me just that opportunity and together I really hope we can make even more headlines before the show and even after the show.”

  • Cody Rhodes Reveals If There Are Plans To Have Him Face Kenny Omega

    Cody Rhodes Reveals If There Are Plans To Have Him Face Kenny Omega

    Former WWE Superstar and current Ring Of Honor (ROH) World Heavyweight Champion Cody Rhodes recently spoke with UPI on a number of professional wrestling topics. “The American Nightmare” discussed the success ROH has seen since he’s become their champion, working with Stephen Amell from Arrow (as he is set to appear at an ROH live event in San Antonio), and the possibility of facing Kenny Omega. Here are the highlights:

    The success of ROH since becoming champion:

    “Nothing has been more exciting for me knowing that Ring of Honor is experiencing their best crowds, their best buy rates and their best merchandise numbers while I’m the champion. I definitely don’t think it’s a direct correlation because I’m the champion but I do think it’s a small part of it and that makes me very proud.”

    Working with Stephen Amell:

    “I know from having worked with Stephen in WWE and having worked with him on the set of Arrow, Stephen doesn’t like to do anything that’s not hands on. So I would imagine in San Antonio he will be doing something and he will be getting physical. He loves wrestling and you feel that coming off Stephen so people respect him right away.”

    Possibly facing Kenny Omega:

    “I think its probably something that if it was the right show, the right cause, it could happen. Right now no plans, but who knows. It’s definitely something that has been requested and you can feel it and if you can feel it in wrestling, it usually happens.”

    You can check out Rhodes’ interview with UPI by clicking this link here.

  • Kazuchika Okada Comments On Chris Jericho Facing Kenny Omega, Reflects On His Run In TNA

    Kazuchika Okada Comments On Chris Jericho Facing Kenny Omega, Reflects On His Run In TNA

    IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada recently spoke with Fox Sports Australia to talk about various topics. Here are the highlights:

    His run in TNA where he was given a stereotypical gimmick:

    “For me, [it was a] good experience. TNA doesn’t care about [having a] good match. But they taught me about character, for a TV show and for the cameras. So it was good for me to become ‘The Rainmaker.’ So, wrestling, being strong, having good matches? I learned that in New Japan. But as a TV character? TNA was good [for me].”

    Chris Jericho coming to NJPW to face Kenny Omega and a potential match with Jericho:

    “[I found out at] Power Struggle in Osaka. I didn’t know that news. I was in the locker room watching the show same as the fans. I thought, ‘Woah! What the?’ I’m OK. I just want to enjoy, as a fan, Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho.”

  • Backstage News On If Kenny Omega’s WWE Plans After NJPW Contract Is Up

    Backstage News On If Kenny Omega’s WWE Plans After NJPW Contract Is Up

    Kenny Omega is arguably the biggest name in professional wrestling outside the WWE, and as his contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) draws to a close, many are left wondering whether or not he’ll make the jump over to WWE that so many before him have. Last year NJPW officials were worried that Omega would actually make the move to WWE, however, this year it doesn’t seem to be as big of a concern.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCdxT5D_dK4&feature=youtu.be

    Omega’s current NJPW deal is set to expire on January 31, 2018, and per a report from Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there’s very little talk of him leaving the company. He currently reigns as the IWGP United States Champion and is planning on signing back with the promotion for another year. Omega’s new deal will give him a considerable pay raise in addition to having more creative authority in all angles he’s involved in.

    The confidence that Omega will resign with NJPW shines through as he has already been advertised for shows beyond his current deal with the company. Ring Of Honor (ROH) currently has him booked for their April 7th Ring Of Honor Supercard of Honor show, which he is expected to serve as the headliner for. Omega is expected to be a major part of NJPW’s plans in 2018, and recently expressed his confidence in resigning with the company after telling Tokyo Sports, “I’m staying in New Japan 100 percent. This is where wrestlers can be themselves and fight for themselves. I want to show how great a place it is.”

  • Report on How Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega Came To Be

    Report on How Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega Came To Be

    A recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has detailed the timeline of events leading up to Chris Jericho vs Kenny Omega being signed for WrestleKingdom.

    According to the report, Jericho was influenced by the build-up to Conor McGregor vs Floyd Mayweather and wanted to do something similar. A match with Omega, he felt, would feel similar in that it is something fans thought they’d never see.

    Jericho’s Secret Meetings with NJPW

    Jericho ended up pitching the idea to NJPW commentator, Don Callis, who then pitched the idea to Omega. All 3 men involved are from Winnipeg and Callis’ podcast with Lance Storm is on Jericho’s podcast network.

    Omega then pitched the idea to Gedo. In August, Jericho and NJPW officials arranged a secret meeting in New York. The deal wasn’t finalized until October, however, with Jericho’s videotaped challenge to Omega being filmed shortly after.

  • Jim Ross Reacts To Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega

    Jim Ross Reacts To Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega

    WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross has released another blog on his JR’s BBQ website. “Good Ole’ JR” discussed the booking for IMPACT Wrestling’s Bound For Glory, the retirement of Gail Kim, and Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 12. You can check out the highlights below:

    Bound For Glory’s booking:

    “Respected the work ethic of the talents, but at times too many ‘gimmicks and gimmick matches’ became overkill, in my opinion. Overuse of gimmick matches, and gimmicks in general, dilutes the process and desensitizes the audience which was seemingly the case in Ottawa. Bound for Glorywas a solid show that had its share of booking issues, but the look of the show and the looks of the small arena was good.

    “However, like many fans often proclaim, I would have made some tweaks to the card. The goals of any rasslin’ creative entity should always be to attempt to put the talents in a position that they can best excel based on their skill sets and the overall makeup of the card. The overuse of duplicate or like spots with extensive gimmick use does no one any favors on anyone’s card.”

    Gail Kim retirement:

    “Loved the Gail Kim presentation. She’s a timeless treasure for the biz and one of the best performers of any gender that I can recall seeing in my 40+ year career. If she had not won, I was prepared to do some thing really stupid, but I’m grateful that the right call was made without overthinking it and making it ‘unpredictable’ because that’s the primary thing that most fans want. To that I say, B.S. Most fans want great execution and logical booking and some things are much better being ‘predictable’ than not. That’s simply my two cents.”

    Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 12:

    “Just my take, but how any of us can complain about Jericho vs. Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 12 in January of 2018 is a head scratcher. It was excellent booking, creative, and the two Winnipeg natives will rock the Tokyo Dome and sell tickets. This is the best way for them to monetize this window of opportunity, without question. It’s been a long time since the Dome went clean on January 4 and this match should certainly help regarding that matter. I read where the NJPW goals was to sell 30,000 for Wrestle Kingdom 12, which is a tremendous number, but the Dome’s capacity for baseball is 55,000 and obviously a bit more for wrestling.”

    You can read Ross’ full blog on JR’s BBQ by clicking this link here.

  • 3 Questions Following the Announcement of Jericho vs Omega

    3 Questions Following the Announcement of Jericho vs Omega

    New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom 12 show on January 4th 2018 just got launched into the stratosphere. As well as announcing some high profile title bouts we now have the unbelievable treat of seeing Chris Jericho perform outside of a WWE ring for the first time in decades.

    When Jericho appeared in a pre-taped promo video during Sunday’s Power Struggle it ignited the world of pro wrestling, and many fans were left wondering how this will play out. Here are the three questions that we have following the blockbuster announcement:

    Is Chris Jericho Done with WWE?

    As mentioned previously, Y2J has not performed outside of the WWE umbrella for an extremely long period of time, he has himself mentioned that he didn’t ever intend to wrestle for anyone other than Vince McMahon before he retired. The announcement of the ‘Alpha’ vs Omega has blown this right out of the water…

    There have been multiple reports over the past few months of unrest within the WWE locker room, now while much can be attributed to hyperbole it cannot be understated how there’s no smoke without fire. There is a very good chance that we will see Jericho inside a WWE ring once again, remember that it isn’t unprecedented to see someone perform at a Wrestle Kingdom and then appear in WWE as early as the Royal Rumble, AJ Styles performed this feat last year.

    This could easily be Jericho just wanting to test himself against one of the best in the world, but there could be deeper issues at play here.

    Will This Be The First and Only Match Between These Two?

    You may or may not be aware of the upcoming ‘Jericruise.’ Chris Jericho sent out the following Survey Monkey gauging interest for a Rock n’ Wrestling themed cruise and he recently announced that The Young Bucks would be part of the festivities.

    The Bucks are very good friends with their fellow ‘Elite’ stablemate…Kenny Omega. There’s a very good chance that after the January 4th bout Jericho and Omega will face off once again in 2018 as part of this off shore event.

    Did Jericho want Kenny as part of the cruise and New Japan would only agree if he took part at Wrestle Kingdom? There’s a very good chance of it.

    How Will This Impact NJPW’s Global Expansion?

    Whether you’re already a fan of New Japan or not, you have to admit that this is the most high profile bout in recent company history. Yes, Omega had one of the most incredible trilogies in wrestling against Kazuchika Okada, but this is a multiple time WWE champion making the jump back to one of his former stomping grounds.

    If promoted correctly, the NJPWWorld site could see a huge influx of fans across the United States, Europe and beyond subscribing to see some of the most dynamic in ring work on the planet, even beyond this dream bout.

    Are you looking forward to this mega matchup? Let us know in the comments.

  • JR Blog: Jericho vs. Omega At WK12, Flair 30 For 30, Bound For Glory

    JR Blog: Jericho vs. Omega At WK12, Flair 30 For 30, Bound For Glory

    WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has posted a new blog entry over at his official website where he gives his thoughts on various topics. Here are the highlights:

    Ric Flair’s ESPN 30 for 30 documentary:

    “Big week for wrestling themed  documentaries as Tuesday Nov 7 the Ted DiBiase film, The Price of Fame, will debut nationwide in theaters for one day only at 7 pm in all time zones.  Plus the Ric Flair 30 for 30 from the brilliant Rory Karpf premiers at 10 pm ET on ESPN. I’ve seen the Flair docudrama three times and it  is a gripping, raw, honest story from the man himself on his professional life that damn near destroyed his personal life. Rory did an amazing job over two years to get this body of work to our TV’s. I can’t encourage you enough to watch both these amazing bodies of work that will likely stay with you for a long, long time and I say that in the truest sense of the word.”

    Sunday’s Bound for Glory PPV:

    “Most fans want great execution and logical booking and some things are much better being ‘predictable’ than not. That’s simply my two cents. BFG was a solid show that had its share of booking issues but the look of the show and the looks of the small arena was good. However, like many fans often proclaim, I would have made some tweaks to the card. The goals of any rasslin creative entity should always be to attempt to put the talents in a position that they can best excel based on their skill sets and the overall makeup of the card. The overuse of duplicate or like spots with extensive gimmick use does no one any favors on anyone’s card.”

    Chris Jericho facing Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 12:

    “Just my take but how any of us can complain about Jericho vs Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 12 in January of 2018 is a head scratcher. It was excellent booking and creative and the two Winnipeg natives will rock the Tokyo Dome and sell tickets. This is the best way for them to monetize this window of opportunity without question. It’s been a long time since the Dome went clean on January 4 and this match should certainly help regarding that matter. I read where the NJPW goals  was to sell 30,000 for WK12 which is a tremendous number but  the Dome’s capacity for baseball is 55,000 and obviously a bit more for wrestling. I’m looking forward to calling this match on AXSTV a few days after it originally airs.”

  • Kenny Omega: ‘Everyone In WWE Is So Below Me’

    Kenny Omega: ‘Everyone In WWE Is So Below Me’

    During a weekend press conference to promote New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 12 event on January 4th, IWGP United States Champion Kenny Omega spoke about competing against Chris Jericho at the show.

    Omega spoke about a ceiling that exists in pro wrestling regarding how popular the athletes can become. “There’s a ceiling here. You can only get so famous. Pro wrestling can only get so popular. My dream is to break that ceiling. It always has been,” he said.

    “Are we only big in Japan now? No. Everyone knows who we are. Everyone knows New Japan, but there’s still that ceiling. There’s still the image that we can never compete. Watch me compete.”

    Omega was asked about WWE and stated that there’s not a single wrestler on the WWE roster that compares to what he can do in the ring.

    “WWE, in general — you can quote me on this I don’t care — everyone there is so below me. No one can put together a performance like me from there. Anyone that’s copying anyone is copying me. I’m the trend right now. I don’t need to search anyone as an opponent. I don’t need the need to take on anyone from there to prove anything.”

    You can see Omega’s comments below:

  • Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega Announced For NJPW WrestleKingdom 12

    Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega Announced For NJPW WrestleKingdom 12

    Chris Jericho will be returning to Japan when he faces Kenny Omega at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 12 event on January 4, 2018 from the Tokyo Dome.

    After weeks of back and forth trash talking on Twitter, this weekend’s NJPW Power Struggle show featured a video of package of Jericho challenging Omega (Video). Jericho said, “Let’s see who’s really the best, b*tch”

    Since Jericho wrapped up his most recent run with WWE, Jericho has been touring with his metal band Fozzy and announced his Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Rager cruise, which will feature appearances by The Young Bucks, Marty Scurll, Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Diamond Dallas Page, Mick Foley, Rey Mysterio and matches featuring talent from Ring of Honor.

    At this time it appears that Jericho is working as a free agent and it’s unclear what (if any) involvement WWE had with this appearance for the number two wrestling promotion in the world.

    Jericho wrestled in Japan early in his career and competed in New Japan Pro Wrestling back  in 1997-1998 when WCW had a working relationship with the promotion.

    Chris Jericho posted the following on Instagram hyping the dream match:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BbHNVIDF41Q/?taken-by=chrisjerichofozzy

  • Cody Rhodes Receives Challenge For ROH Title, Kenny Omega At NJPW Museum

    Cody Rhodes Receives Challenge For ROH Title, Kenny Omega At NJPW Museum

    – New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) and Ring Of Honor (ROH) star Rocky Romero has issued out a challenge to Cody Rhodes for the ROH World Heavyweight Championship. Rhodes responded to Romero’s challenge by calling him out for calling the championship a “belt” instead of a “title”:

    – IWGP United States Champ Kenny Omega recently visited the NJPW museum in Shibuya and checked out his own handprint which is on display. Check it out here:

     

  • New Title Match Added To NJPW Power Struggle, Updated Card

    New Title Match Added To NJPW Power Struggle, Updated Card

    A new match has been announced for NJPW’s (New Japan Pro Wrestling) Power Struggle event.

    Trent Barreta will challenge for Kenny Omega’s IWGP United States Title. The match was officially announced after Barreta challenged Omega at Sunday’s Road to Power Struggle show. This marks the third time that Omega will defend his title since winning it in Long Beach this summer.

    Four title matches are set to be featured on the card. The event is slated to take place at the Edion Arena in Osaka this Sunday. Here is the updated card:

    — IWGP Intercontinental Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi defending against Kota Ibushi

    — IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay defending against Marty Scurll

    — IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega defending against Trent Barreta

    — NEVER Openweight Champion Minoru Suzuki defending against Toru Yano in a bullrope match

    — Sho & Yoh vs. Ryusuke Taguchi & ACH in the finals of the Super Junior Tag Team Tournament

    — Togi Makabe, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. Cody, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens

    — Juice Robinson, Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask IV, KUSHIDA & Hirai Kawato vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi, El Desperado & Taka Michinoku

    — Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Gedo vs. Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, SANADA, BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi

    — The Young Bucks vs. Dragon Lee & Titan

    — David Finlay vs. Katsuya Kitamura