Kenny Omega was one of the top stars in NJPW and used the platform to declare himself "The Best Bout Machine" thanks to his classics against Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito, Tomohiro Ishii and more.
In AEW, Omega has been knocked for not quite living up to those standards, though he has shown more diversity competing in a Lights Out match, more tag team bouts, and the recent Street Fight on AEW Dynamite.
?Not everyone who watches AEW is familiar with my work in Japan. I?m not sure everyone knows ?The Best Bout Machine.? So the question was asked, is the best way to introduce this character by giving him the world right off the bat? Maybe that could have worked. To me, I would rather take more unknown names, guys that don?t have that big reputation yet, and show there is something special about them. I want to be a force to help introduce new stars to the world and magnify the work of those around me," Omega told Sports Illustrated.
While many will credit NJPW booker Gedo for putting Omega in a position to succeed in Japan, Omega revealed that he was the one behind everything he did in the company.
?A lot of people watched my work in New Japan, and they think there is this mysterious figure, this booker, Gedo, and he controls and oversees all and writes all the stories,? explained Omega. ?No. I wrote my own stories. That was me. For me, through the way I tell my stories and the way I value my fans from around the world, who mean the world to me, people have stuck with me even though I?m not in the main event picture. And it doesn?t matter if I?m not in the main event picture, I am performing my ass off to deliver main event level performances. I understand that you can?t just be a dude that has long singles matches with the same people over and over. You have to challenge yourself in all match types, including TV matches. Guys that think they?re great in the Wild West where they can do whatever the f--- they want, sure, they?re great. Not to sound egotistical, but putting on great matches, that?s the easiest part for me. Try to do it when you have to hit a hard eight minutes, and still blow the fans? socks off.?
Omega went on to say that he wants to be the all-around best performer in the world and when it's time to deliver the "classic" Omega main event style match, he will deliver.