For the first time in four years Kenny Omega will be returning to New Jap Pro Wrestling at Wrestle Kingdom 17 in January 2023. The announcement came after Omega appeared via video at the NJPW x STARDOM Historic X-Over event, laying down the challenge to IWGP United States Champion Will Ospreay.
The two men have been at odds on social media and briefly in AEW when Ospreay appeared with the promotion in the summer. Omega famously dismissed Ospreay’s matches as “forgettable” while the British star said that Omega was fragile, later adding that he was an “insecure little b*tch.”
How Did Kenny Omega’s New Japan Come About?
Following the news that Omega will be squaring off against Ospreay on January 4th in the Tokyo Dome, a new report has offered an insight into how the deal came about. Fightful Select note that talks concerning a match began back in the summer. The report also states that Rocky Romero was instrumental in getting the deal together. Fightful add that Romero has been a “huge factor” in New Japan’s global expansion, and was in frequent contact with AEW President Tony Khan making a number of deals.
Those familiar with the situation claim that the match between Omega and Ospreay was finalised within the last “two or three weeks, ” despite lengthy negotiations. Although Omega’s recent AEW suspension didn’t kill talks, it was it was suggested that it definitely slowed the process down.
Kenny Omega had been out of action for the majority of 2022 due to a series of injuries, some of which required surgery. The self-styled Best Bout Machine returned to action on the August 17th edition of Dynamite. However, just weeks later he was suspended for his role in the infamous brawl following All Out. Just hours earlier Omega had become one-third of the first-ever AEW World Trios Champions alongside the Young Bucks.
The former AEW World Champion returned from suspension at AEW Full Gear alongside The Bucks to challenge Trios Champions Death Triangle. Surprisingly The Elite were defeated at the event, before a ‘Best of Seven’ series was announced between the two teams.