Kenny Omega On How His Title Reign Will Be Different From Kazuchika Okada

Saturday is a day that will not soon be forgotten in the wrestling world. Kenny Omega did what he and others couldn’t do in the past 719 days, beat Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

The match took place at Osaka-Jo Hall at NJPW‘s second biggest show of the year, Dominion. After going down one fall, in a best 2-out-of-3-falls match, Omega was able to rebound and take the fight to Okada, defeating him to capture the gold. After the match, Kenny showed everyone that the title win hasn’t changed what drives and motivates him. Instead of grabbing for the championship belt, he was embraced by the people that helped him get to that point, The Young Bucks and Golden Lovers partner Kota Ibushi.

“Many wrestlers lose themselves, lose their soul to the money and the pressures of the business,” said Omega. “I wanted to make it very clear that this journey didn’t cost me my humanity.”

Omega’s win put an end to Okada’s historic run, which as well as holding the title for over 700 days also saw him become the first person to defend the title 12 times in the same reign.

Omega became only the fifth different person to hold the treasured title since 2011, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada, AJ Styles, and Tetsuya Naito being the others.

Omega never strayed from what made him the star he has become today, believing that kindness, creativity, and tenacity are all essential for a champion.

“I think those are things always synonymous with a good team player,” said Omega. “Of course there will be moments when you ask for the ball or even take the ball by force but, in my case, I always kept the company’s best interest in mind moving forward and put myself in positions to contribute positively even when I wasn’t the focus of a story.”

Omega was also asked what specifically about his journey towards the IWGP Heavyweight Title meant so much to him.

“Perhaps it was recognizing that pro wrestling, for me, was lacking something. Something athletic, something entertaining, something with heart and soul. I never once felt I was close to being the best wrestler in the world, not by textbook standards, but I did what I could to represent a style that I thought could be universally entertaining. In small baby steps, I made adjustments and improvements, and now here we are.”

Omega, who has been dubbed ‘Best Bout Machine’ is far more humble in real life about that moniker and being considered one of, if not the, best in the world.

“I’m just happy to be in that discussion. I’m not flawless and have my weaknesses as a performer, but I do my best to play to my strengths while also highlighting my opponents.”

Because of the reign that he has to follow, Omega was also asked if he could further elevate the title.

“In a wrestling sense, what Okada accomplished is something I can never top. I excel in my creativity and ability to draw raw emotion. From these, I’ll tell stories different from Okada’s reign. It won’t necessarily be worse or better, but it will certainly be different. From that, I hope I can add layers of character to everyone I work with.”

Omega’s reign may have just started, but he can’t look too far ahead or it can be over as quickly as it started. July 7th at the G1 Special in San Francisco, he will be putting the title on the line for his first defense against Bullet Club member, Cody.

Check out SI.com for the full interview with Omega.

How do you think Omega’s reign will turn out? Is Omega the Best in the World? Let me know what you think in the comments down below or on Twitter Here!

• g1 special in san francisco
• IWGP Heavyweight Champion
• Tetsuya Naito
• AJ Styles
• kota ibushi
• NJPW Dominion
• Hiroshi Tanahashi
• Kazuchika Okada
• The Young Bucks
• Cody
• Kenny Omega

Share this article with friends