Kenny Omega comments on a potential match with Kazuchika Okada and notes that they could team up together.
Omega and Okada have plenty of history; they have shared the ring 66 times in a variety of ways. The two stars clashed in epic matches at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11 and NJPW Dominion in 2017. They also faced each other at NJPW Dominion 2018, and this remains their last singles match to date. Omega left NJPW when AEW launched in 2019, but he returned to the company at Wrestle Kingdom 17 on January 4, 2023. There, he defeated Will Ospreay to win the IWGP United States Championship.
Speaking with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Omega commented on Okada recently using his "Goodbye and good night" catchphrase and noted that it caught his attention.
“Absolutely it did. I checked my text messages right away to see if there was something I wasn’t privy to," Omega said.
Omega and Okada are two of the top stars in the wrestling world, and with the working relationship between NJPW and AEW, it's easy to imagine that they could cross paths again at some point, particularly with AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door coming on June 25. They teamed up together at NJPW New Year Dash 2023, and Omega noted that he had fun with the match. Looking back on it, he stated that it felt like their "thing" was done.
“I wouldn’t be so quick to scratch his name off the list of guys I wouldn’t help. Our match together was a wild-card draft. It was a fun time. It felt to me like, ‘We had our thing. Our thing is done. I’ve said it before—Okada is very sharp. He is who he is for a reason. I had a lot of fun teaming with him at New Japan Dash, so I wouldn’t strike that off the list of potential people who I wouldn’t mind having their back," Omega said.
Omega elaborated by noting that he and Okada are in separate divisions, and being able to exist in their own worlds, while being comrades for a change, is good. He pointed out that he holds the IWGP United States Championship while Okada is chasing the world title. Okada is also one-third of the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champions.
“We’re in completely separate divisions right now. I’m U.S. champion, and he’s competing for the IWGP heavy. It’s good to let us exist in our respective worlds and be comrades for a change," Omega said.
Omega recently stated that time is running out on his clock, and he wants to make every match special. Check out his comments here.
NJPW will hold the NJPW Resurgence event on May 21. The card can be found here.
Check out the card for the May 17 episode of AEW Dynamite here. Fightful will have live coverage of the show as it airs.
