IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega is set to compete at this year's AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door show. The Cleaner's opponent has made it clear that this match means everything to him.
Omega's opponent will be Will Ospreay, the man the former defeated at Wrestle Kingdom 17 in January 2023. The AEW star captured the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship from Ospreay in a match that was praised by fans worldwide.
In a recent online presentation to confirm the bout for Forbidden Door, Will Ospreay sent a video message directed at Kenny Omega. The 30-year-old explained how his rematch with The Cleaner would be personal.
"What people need to understand is what this match actually means to me. At the Tokyo Dome, I got embarrassed, [and] humiliated, by the returning prodigal son, and you have no idea what that did to me. My family was at home watching me be desecrated by you, so now I've got to repay the favor. Do you know what this is about? This is about redemption, this is about revenge, that's what it's all about. In Toronto, your home country, I'm going to do the exact same thing you did to me. This is f**king personal." [1:40 - 2:18]
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Ospreay was the IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion heading into last year's Forbidden Door event. He successfully defended his title against Orange Cassidy at the show. However, Freshly Squeezed wasn't the first choice for Ospreay, as it was initially going to be Andrade El Idolo challenging for the title. Sadly, for Andrade, he was pulled from the show due to his affiliation with AAA in Mexico.
Will Ospreay has never defeated Kenny Omega in a one-on-one match
Rematches happen all the time in professional wrestling. So why does this bout with Kenny Omega mean so much to Will Ospreay? Simply put, the United Empire leader has never defeated Omega in a one-on-one match.
Before their iconic clash at the Tokyo Dome earlier this year, Ospreay and Omega crossed paths in 2015 at the PWG All Star Weekend event. The Cleaner got the better of an up-and-coming Will Ospreay at the show.
Kenny Omega has never lost to Ospreay when there have been title implications in their tag team matches. While Omega was part of the Bullet Club and Ospreay was part of CHAOS, the team of Kenny, Cody Rhodes, and Marty Scurll defended the ROH Six-Man Tag Team Championship against the team of Ospreay, Toru Yano, and YOSHI-HASHI in 2017.
Who will leave Forbidden Door as the IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion? Let us know in the comments section below.
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