It's no secret that Kenny Omega's contract with NJPW expires in January. When Omega's contract was up in 2017, rumors began to swirl that he was WWE bound. Even John Cena fed into the rumors, posting an uncaptioned photo of Omega on Instagram.
This January will be no different when it comes to Omega's next move. Speaking to Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, the IWGP Heavyweight Champion shed some light on his thought process heading into January.
“WWE was always the be-all, end-all, but now it’s changed so much that you can have your best years without WWE. You don’t necessarily have to stress or worry about not having that ‘WrestleMania Moment.’ I used to hear that all the time when I was coming up in DDT. People found a measure of joy by saying, ‘You’ve never walked the ramp on Raw, so who the hell are you?’ I’m hearing a lot less of that. People are realizing the alternative can be just as good, if not better.”
While Omega may not see WWE as the "be-all, end-all" anymore, he admits that there are plenty of intriguing matchups in WWE. He's already wrestled a who's who list of wrestlers in NJPW and various Independent promotions. Meanwhile, plenty of dream matches remain in WWE.
“I realize that there are people that are employed by that promotion that I could have a good match with,” said Omega. “There are people within that promotion where, if we had that said match, could generate multiple communities celebrating the performance. That’s what happened when the Bucks and I did the gaming battle with the New Day. If I wrestled one of their top guys, people would watch that match in the anticipation of something great happening."
The "gaming battle" between The Elite and New Day in question was Street Fighter V showdown at E3 this year. The New Day got the better of the Elite in the three-vs-three scenario. However, Omega defeated Xavier Woods in one-on-one competition.
And while potential wrestling matches with the New Day or superstars like AJ Styles, Seth Rollins, Daniel Bryan, and Finn Balor sound intriguing, Omega knows there might be limitations to those matches.
“But right now, it’s all, ‘What if?’ fantasy scenarios. It’s going to stay that way until it happens, if it ever even happens, because you never know what type of limitations are going to be placed on those matches. If Kenny Omega is allowed to be Kenny Omega, then those matches would be really special. Would I be allowed to be myself, the real Kenny Omega, within that realm? In a way, it’s almost more exciting to think about what it could be rather than see what it would be.”
Last week, Cody Rhodes hinted that Omega, the Bucks, Cody, and Hangman Page have already made a decision about their future, implying that the group will move as one when their respective contracts expire. Omega is set to face Pentagon Jr. in another dream match this Saturday at All in.
