Current Champion Shares Honest Thoughts On Having To Follow Kenny Omega Return Match

Current Champion Shares Honest Thoughts On Having To Follow Kenny Omega Return Match AEW

Wrestle Dynasty on January 5, 2025, saw AEW’s Kenny Omega return to the ring after missing the whole of 2024 in a match against Gabe Kidd.

This crossover show match came after months of bitterness between the pair that turned physical at NJPW Power Struggle in November 2024.

Omega vs. Kidd wasn’t the main event at Wrestle Dynasty however, with Zack Sabre Jr. defending the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against AEW’s Ricochet in the main event.

ZSJ has reflected on following Kenny Omega’s match in an interview with NJPW, believing that the co-main event held “a lot of emotion and deeper meaning” for the fans at the Tokyo Dome.

Believing his own match at Wrestle Dynasty felt like an exhibition, Zack explained:

“I was warming up and I could hear the crowd. Gabe and Kenny was a match rooted in a lot of emotion and deeper meaning.

“Me and Ricochet was essentially an exhibition match- we’d only had one interaction when he surprised me in Osaka and then nothing for two months. My priority had to be promoting the January 4 (Wrestle Kingdom 19) match with Shota.

“But it was a remarkable match, and I’m happy for the fans they were able to see something like that. My purpose was really to make sure I defended the IWGP World Heavyweight title from an outsider.”

Ricochet would be unsuccessful in his attempt to become IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, marking the second successful defense for Sabre Jr that weekend.

Speaking about the qualities of Gabe Kidd vs. Kenny Omega, Zack Sabre Jr noted that his match against Ricochet was never going to be comparable, saying:

“It was a very physical match, but it was just about each of us fighting to be the champion. So it was never going to be comparable to Gabe and Kenny and that’s fine.”

In the interview, Sabre Jr. would also tease the possibility of a match against Will Ospreay at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door on August 24, 2025 in London, England.

Transcript from NJPW.

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1 week ago by Dave Adamson

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