I was emotionally invested in Will Ospreay vs Kenny Omega just on the little bad blood interaction that emerge and their names alone. Both men have solidified their names in this business. So, I honestly didn’t need an absolute fundamental story of hero vs villain or baby face vs heel. Kenny Omega did a wonderful job as the villain, and he was deeply rooted in remaining as such while Will Ospreay tried to make this match very fight feel with humanity weaved into it.

Kenny Omega revealed in an interview that before he left in New Japan in 2019 and now, we know he helped started AEW. But before that, he pulled Jay White and Will Ospreay aside and told them that New Japan is going to need people to step up while he’s gone.

Think of this as the time John Cena tells the story of how he got his spotlight position when he mentions that he grabbed the brass nuts since Vince McMahon was looking for a new star.

Anyway. Jay White is the first to shoot down that rumor. Will Ospreay remembered that talk and immediately had mentioned his disdain for Kenny Omega some years after that when Omega threw Ospreay under the bus during a twitter confrontation. Then Ospreay and the United Empire appeared on AEW TV to which, of course, Omega being an EVP had to get the last word in during their promo battle.

What I didn’t like was the constant, you couldn’t fill my shoes. Will Ospreay is leaps and bounds better than Kenny Omega thus making Will Ospreay vastly unique. Kenny Omega is known for wrestling in the states but on the indies. He had a tryout with WWE long long long ago but is known for the indies. He then moved to Japan and started in DDT (Dream Dramatic Team) where he met Kota Ibushi — his Golden Lover teammate — and then Kota Ibushi brought in Kenny Omega to New Japan Pro Wrestling. While at NJPW, Kenny won various titles, feuded with Okada (those are the ONLY matches we ever talk about), and was once the leader of Bullet Club while forming The Elite (Kenny Omega, Nick Jackson, Matt Jackson) in the club.

Will Ospreay matured and accepted his flaws and past mistakes. You can’t change the past; you can learn from it, however. Will Ospreay gave his life to New Japan Pro Wrestling. Literally. While IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, he fought Shingo Takagi and Shingo did his Made in Japan move through a table which broke Ospreay’s neck.

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Sacrifices > Handouts | Will Ospreay vs Kenny Omega | IWGP US Heavyweight Championship | Wrestle Kingdom 17 39:30 Share

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Sacrifices > Handouts | Will Ospreay vs Kenny Omega | IWGP US Heavyweight Championship | Wrestle Kingdom 17