What’s the story?
New Japan Pro Wrestling has posted a new interview with Kenny Omega as ‘The Cleaner’ prepares to make his return to the company. Much of January was spent speculating about the future of the former IWGP Intercontinental and Junior Heavyweight Champion with the man himself seemingly torn between New Japan and WWE.
The dust has cleared however and the man who lost arguably the greatest match in modern wrestling history returns to the company. Omega returns to New Japan today at the NJPW/ROH co-produced Honor Rising show, teaming with Adam Cole to take on The Briscoe Brothers.
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In case you didn’t know...
In 2016 Kenny Omega became the first gaijin in history to win the prestigious G1 Climax, but the leader of Bullet Club was unable to defeat Kazuchika Okada in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 11 with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship on the line.
Omega was last seen in New Japan the night after Wrestle Kingdom, and his disappearance led many to speculate that he was WWE bound.
Also read: WWE News: Jim Ross talks about Kenny Omega's Future and WWE's plans to sign him
Omega himself eventually cleared up those rumours and whilst it would be no surprise to see him in WWE before the end of his career, that time is yet to come.
The heart of the matter
According to Omega, it was his loss against Kazuchika Okada that inspired him to return to NJPW. In the interview (which is available on New Japan World) Omega states that:
“Tokyo Dome was a gigantic, monstrous failure. I lost the big one in front of my fans, in front of my family.”
Omega also exhibits annoyance that people view a match he lost as the greatest of all time, saying that the bout led him to question himself:
“What’s next for Kenny? Is Japan even next for Kenny?’ It is.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Omega talks about how his mindset has changed since that famous night in the Tokyo Dome. Omega says that the fans are starting to like him but they really should not, as Omega claims that he is a bad man with selfish motives.
He goes on to say New Japan needs Kenny Omega, and was quoted as saying:
“At the end of the day I will be the only one able to protect this country, and this promotion from all the invaders looking to take New Japan away from you.”
What’s next?
Omega returns to New Japan Pro Wrestling today at Honor Rising, but it is unlikely that he will be stuck in tag team matches for long. The New Japan Cup is right around the corner, a tournament that Omega is certainly considered to be one of the favourites for.
Sportskeeda’s take
We simply can’t wait to see Kenny Omega back in a professional wrestling ring and this interview more than whets the appetite. The long road to redemption is about to begin for Omega and it will be exciting to see it unravel.
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