Tensions continue to rise between Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega, and the former AEW World Champion has offered his opinion on his foe's shortcomings.
The two stars have been feuding for a long time, and the conflict has ramped up recently. Omega and Ospreay traded verbal barbs after AEW Dynamite last week, when United Empire defeated Death Triangle to advance in the AEW World Trios Tournament. The former AEW World Champion also took a shot at Ospreay's merchandise sales.
In an interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Omega discussed his rivalry with Ospreay. First, he noted that they view the business, and wrestling itself, in different ways.
“We look at the business in two very different ways. The way we go about our matches is different, and even what we want to leave behind in wrestling is different. We’re both shooting to be the top performer wherever we go, but we go about it in very different ways," Omega said.
He continued by describing how, just as he'd like to test Ospreay, he's sure the NJPW star wants to test him too. At this stage, the former AEW World Champion aims to see whether he can still hold his own with the best. Given that he's only one match into his return, he admitted that he's still finding out where he stands, but he's going to push himself in an effort to send a message to Ospreay.
“There may be some tense moments between myself and Will. I’d like to test him, and I’m sure he’d like to test me. I also would like to test myself and see if I’m really in a position where I can hang with the best. I’ve had one match [since returning from injury] to feel it out, which was a very unique scenario. I came back to AEW after a long hiatus and wrestled against three of the top luchador wrestlers in the world in a four-sided ring. Normally when I am testing myself against top luchadores in AAA, we’re in the six-sided ring. I’m still determining where I am, but I am going to push myself as far as I need to in order to keep up with him—and I am going to push myself hard enough to send a message to Will Ospreay that he’s just not quite there yet," he said.
When specifically asked what Ospreay is lacking as a top performer, Omega stated that he has a false sense of selef and pointed to his maturity level. He emphasized that the rating scale for matches is broken, and Ospreay puts too much stock in it.
“Will has this false sense of self. That’s reinforced partly by some people in the wrestling media, like Dave Meltzer, who I believe overrates his matches just a little. I can take blame for that—I broke the [ratings] scale. Since I broke the scale, the ratings have been all over the place. It’s hard to make heads or tails of how good a match really is, and that’s creating a divide. The rating system used to be something that was prestigious. Now, should I be proud of a four-star match? Or should I be proud of a five or a six? If Will gets something that’s over a five, and I didn’t enjoy my experience watching the match, do I want a match like that?
“For Will to put so much stock into that is a sign of his age, his experience and his maturity level. If he focused more on where he needs to evolve and grow, he’d come closer to becoming what he wants to be in wrestling. Essentially, that’s me. He’s just not close enough yet. And I’m still here," Omega said.
Omega recently commented on his return to the ring. You can check out his comments by clicking here.
Fightful will have coverage of AEW Dynamite as it airs on Wednesday night.
