"The Cleaner" speaks.
Kenny Omega has reached the top of the mountain in New Japan Pro Wresting after eight years with the company. Last Saturday at NJPW's 'Dominion' event Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada battled over the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in a no-time limit sanctioned 2-Out-Of-3 Falls match. The match is regarded by some as one of the best matches in the history of the sport as both men went at it for nearly 70 minutes.
As the score was tied one-to-one between Okada and Kenny, the closing sequences saw Kenny Omega delivering his signature "V-Trigger" and "One Winged Angel' finishing maneuvers to end the 720-day reign of Kazuchika Okada and to become the new top dog in NJPW. Omega who is a Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada native was not the only Canadian who had success on the night as Michael Elgin captured the NEVER Openweight Championship and a revamped Chris Jericho became a 10-time Intercontinental Champion. Both Kenny and Jericho hail from Winnipeg and Kenny discussed the success he and Jericho had at 'Dominion' as he was interviewed by his home-city news publication the 'Winnipeg Free Press'.
"For Chris and myself to win (NJPW’s) No. 1 and No. 2 belts, belts that are generally perceived by fans, critics and wrestlers themselves as the most prestigious titles in wrestling, it isn’t something that happens every day, and the fact that two foreigners, who are not only Canadian, but both from Winnipeg, is wow, just an incredible occasion," Omega said.
Omega becoming the face of NJPW's expansion into the United States seemingly began last summer when he stood tall in a tournament at the G1 Special to become the first-ever IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Champion. Omega stated that he was ready for the responsibility that he has now which is being the face of the NJPW and its U.S. expansion a long time ago.
"I was ready to shoulder this responsibility a long time ago," said Omega, "I have always felt I was the right person for the global expansion. I really trust my own style and believe it’s the style that’s going to appeal to people around the world."
It is documented that Kenny Omega's contract with NJPW expires next January and the rumors and talks regarding Kenny Omega's future have picked up more now than ever. Kenny stated that he wants to have control over his success and not be successful because someone produced his promo or match, but more-so of him earning that reputation on his own.
"If someone asks me why not go to WWE, for me, I guess at the end of the day, I want to look back and be proud of the work I did. I also want to be proud I did it knowing that it was my own work — nobody wrote that work, nobody produced that work, other than the person themselves," said Omega. "The WWE is kind of a place where you want to finish your career, kind of when you’ve already accomplished what you’ve wanted to accomplish as an artist, you go there to collect your paycheck and call it a day."
Omega has no time to relax coming off of his historic IWGP Heavyweight Title win as he has to deal with an individual who has been a thorn in his side for six months, "The American Nightmare" Cody. Cody will be challenging Kenny Omega for his newly-won title at the G1 Special on July 7th in San Francisco.
