A top AEW star has slammed critics who believe he’s too reckless.
At AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door II, Will Ospreay defeated Kenny Omega to win the IWGP United States Championship.
During the course of the near-40 minute bout, both men put their bodies on the line in a battle that saw many breathtaking and devastating moments, including Ospreay dropping Omega on his head with “The Tiger Driver 91” now dubbed “The Storm Driver 93.”
This move had fans and critics talking about if it was too dangerous or reckless in the aftermath of the event.
Speaking with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Kenny Omega addressed the critics of the use of the move. He said:
“There are a lot of people criticizing who do not have my best interests at heart.”
“They just want to put a dark mark on that match, which is a performance I’m extremely proud of. And performances like that will be few and far between as I get older and older.”
Omega continued on to provide insight into why “The Tiger Driver 91” was so valuable to the closing stretch of the match, saying:
“In terms of a live and physical performance, I’ve never seen anything more mind-blowing—skill-wise, performance-wise, production-wise—than Cirque du Soleil.”
“To me, that’s the peak form of that style of entertainment. As I watch these shows and their stunts and their compositions for every scene, it is rare for me to go, ‘That looks easy. I could do that.’”
“But there certainly are times when I watch what they do and know this is their identity, and that is the reason why they’re on that stage.”
“During the high flying acrobatics, or seamlessly strung together choreography, I never go, ‘How stupid is this guy? If he falls, he’s dead.’ We’d be dead if we tried that.”
“But here’s the thing. We’re not them. We’ll never be them. We weren’t meant to be them.”
Addressing his critics and mentioning Mike Tyson as a comparison to how confident he is in his abilities inside the ring, Omega stated:
“Don’t tell me not to wrestle the way I know how to wrestle,”
“Is there a risk? Was there a risk when Mike Tyson was fighting within inches of space between another championship-level boxer throwing power punches? Of course.”
“But Tyson was confident in his abilities, and he knew he was the best. So don’t tell Mike Tyson how to box, and don’t tell Tyson Smith how to wrestle. You aren’t even close to being qualified. Just shut the f*** up.”
Kenny Omega has already been back in the squared circle with a win over Wheeler Yuta on the July 5 edition of AEW Dynamite. He will now take part in Blood And Guts match on the July 19 episode.
Omega will team up with fellow “Golden Elite” members Hangman Adam Page, The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) and the debuting Kota Ibushi to face Blackpool Combat Club’s Jon Moxley, Wheeler Yuta, Claudio Castagnoli, Konosuke Takeshita and the returning PAC.
A WWE Hall of Famer recently commented on the Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay match, which you can read here.
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