Kenny Omega was interviewed by Rolling Stone Japan on his upcoming IWGP World Title defense against Hiroshi Tanahashi at New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom 13. Omega had a few comments (and 8-bit analogies) in response to Tanahashi saying that Omega has no grace. Omega was quoted at saying the following (translation credit goes to Chris Charlton):
“I understand that Tanahashi must feel disappointed that a wrestler like me is at the top of the heap. But to say I have no grace? I’d say that applies to him, not me.
“To suggest that mine is a style that isn’t New Japan like is a big problem. It’s saying Tanahashi’s style, the style that presents himself as the ace, is the only style that’s correct.
“I absolutely understand and respect that Tanahashi did so much to pull NJPW out of the dark ages, but from there, recently, the ones that have brought us to this awesome level have been Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito and of course, the best bout machine, Kenny Omega.
“Look, it’s absolutely important to have faith and belief in your style, but to push that on everyone else, I’m not behind that.
“You know I like video games, right? Tanahashi’s like a NES game. The NES is a great system. There’s a lot of fantastic titles, but since then, everything’s evolved. There are games now that nobody thought would be even possible back then, and fans enjoy them too.
“Maybe you can say that the NES games are the true core of games. That might be right to an extent, but to take that and then say that modern games lack grace, that’s just an old man yelling at clouds.
“The important thing isn’t just evolution, but who the evolution is for. I want the fans to be happy. Worldwide. For New Japan, we stream to a global audience, and I want to wrestle in a way that appeals to a global audience.
“I don’t want this to just be about wrestling fans, but anyone. That they can see me and fall in love with wrestling in an instant. Hardcore, comedy, strong style, none of those bullshit labels. Just knowing that if I’m in the ring, I’m doing everything to provide the best bout. Guys who only know and respect the NJPW strong style don’t have their focus on a global audience and can’t hope to attain it.
“I respect Okada, Naito and Ibushi the most in New Japan. They don’t fit in easy boxes and they do care about worldwide fans. Like Naito, he’s an orthodox Strong Style guy, but threw that out in favor of a Lucha influence and created something new. Okada too. And Ibushi…there’s only one Ibushi. It’s important to have that individuality in order to keep improving the quality of NJPW, and keep amazing fans. I absolutely feel my style is the best, but I would never look down at another wrestler’s style like Tanahashi does.”
You can see The Rolling Stone article in its original form by going here.
RELATED: Kenny Omega’s New Elite Shirt Is ‘Purrrfect’ (Photo), New Day’s New Denny’s Ad (Video)
