Kenny Omega confirmed he will not appear at this year's Royal Rumble and probably will not leave New Japan Pro Wrestling for a while.
Omega appeared for the second time this month on Wrestling Observer Radio and confirmed he won't be at the Rumble, saying he wants fans to enjoy the match without getting any false hopes the NJPW star was going to compete for WWE at this time.
"I'm just going to say it: I will not be at the Royal Rumble. I don't want people to have this sort of false hope of me showing up in the Royal Rumble and then not being there and being disappointed when there's a fantastic match happening with fantastic competitors in it. I don't want the lack of me being in that to disappoint people or catch people off guard or surprise people. 'Oh, I thought you were going to be in it for sure, we were waiting for you.' You know, there are 30 other superstars in that Royal Rumble. I want people to enjoy it and appreciate it for what it's worth. But I will not be appearing at that pay-per-view. So, there it is. You heard it from the horse's mouth."
The Bullet Club leader also commented on the rumors that he would be leaving the company. His contract was originally set to expire on January 31, but Omega said he is likely to return to the company and would remain there for at least another year.
"I have not yet come to terms on a new New Japan contract; however, I am flying back out in mid-February to renegotiate and it's looking positive. There's always that small percentage where the whole thing might go belly up. But I'm just going to be honest, it's looking like I'm going to be with New Japan for at least one more year."
Rumors started circulating of Omega leaving WWE after his match at Wrestle Kingdom 11 against Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, a match that received a six-star rating from Dave Meltzer, an accomplishment only ever achieved one other time in history.
Omega had a banner year in 2016, becoming the first Canadian to win the G1 Climax and main evented the January 4 Tokyo Dome show while emerging as the new leader of the Bullet Club. He replaced former leader AJ Styles who, alongside stablemates Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, left NJPW to go to WWE.
Credit to cagesideseats.com for the transcription.
