At Wrestle Kingdom 17, Kenny Omega made his return to New Japan Pro Wrestling after exiting the company in 2019 to form All Elite Wrestling. His rivalry with Will Ospreay finally came to a big time singles match, with it already being counted as one of the greatest matches in company history, with Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer awarding it 6.25 stars, and TheOvertimer rating it at a perfect 5 stars. While this match would have been big enough without a belt on the line, the IWGP United States Championship was on the line – with Omega coming out with the victory. He has big plans for his second reign with the belt.
Kenny Omega Wants To Defend In AEW & NJPW
While speaking with TokyoSports following the event, Omega would have a chance to detail his goals for this reign – wanting to defend the belt both in the United States & Japan over the coming months – saying the following.
“I want to do either New Japan or AEW. When I was the US champion, I defended most of my defenses in Japan. So I want to do it in Japan as well as in the United States.”
Naming Three Potential Opponents, Jeff Cobb Already Called Dibs On First Shot
When asked about potential opponents, Omega had the following to say.
“It seems like I’m going to challenge the IWGP world, but someday I want to try with Shingo Takagi. Kenny & Keisuke Ishii and Takagi & YAMATO, who I did at DDG (June 5, 2012, Osaka) before I went to New Japan for the first time, are great. It was an interesting match. From that moment on, I thought that I would be able to do a good single with him. I didn’t have a chance when I was in New Japan, but now Takagi is also on top. I think it’s the best timing.”
He would also go on to name two Junior Heavyweight names in Hiromu Takahashi & El Desperado, potentially bringing an Openweight element to the belt with his reign. Jeff Cobb has stepped up as the first challenger, confronting Omega after the main event of New Years Dash when Omega teamed with Kazuchika Okada to defeat Cobb & Aaron Henare. Henare took the fall, and Cobb wants to test Omega in singles action.
If Omega can somehow get these four matches in before a rematch with Ospreay later this year, that would be an incredible reign right there. Who do you want to see Omega defend against? Would you be against seeing the belt defended on AEW Dynamite or Rampage? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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