At NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 Kenny Omega made his long-awaited return to Japan to face Will Ospreay for the IWGP United States Championship. On the same show, Mercedes Mone made her highly-anticipated debut for the promotion.
Their respective appearances resulted in one of the most successful Japanese events in years. According to NJPW, the event saw 26,085 fans in attendance, which made it the biggest draw for a non-WWE live event in three years. Their presence also brought in a record-breaking number (92,409) of new signups to the NJPW World streaming service.
As well as the mega event being a huge success for the promotion, the stars also experienced personal wins. Omega defeated Ospreay to become a two-time IWGP US champion while Mone challenged KIARI for the women’s title, which she went on to win at Battle of the Valley on February 18th.
Mercedes Mone and Kenny Omega Met For The First Time Before NJPW Wrestle Kingdom
Mone’s debut at Wrestle Kingdom was her first wrestling appearance since she sensationally walked out on WWE in the summer of 2022. Prior to her debut As she finished up her hair, she turned to find Kenny Omega in the doorway.
The two had a short conversation and Mone admitted she was nervous about her upcoming appearance. The clip caused quite a stir in the wrestling world and continues to do so. In a social media post, Mone shared the video along with the caption:
“So nice to meet you @KennyOmegamanX until our paths meet again 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟”
Omega replied to the message and seemingly hinted at a potential partnership between the two in NJPW.
“Our work with NJPW isn’t quite done yet, so I’m sure they will! I hear they sometimes do mix matches now too… 🤔🤜”
If the two ever do cross paths in the ring one of the places it could potentially take place at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2. Due to the success of the 2022 inter-promotional event, AEW President unofficially announced he is looking at doing the show again, but no official confirmation followed.
Now, however, US cable TV company Spectrum might have spoiled any surprise for Forbidden Door 2 as the event appears in listings for upcoming pay-per-view events alongside the likes of Revolution, Double Or Nothing, and WWE’s WrestleMania.