In a recent interview with Sports Graphic Number, Rossy Ogawa commented on Marigold World Champion Utami Hayashishita, saying he'd like to see her become more toned.
“She (Utami Hayashishita) has already bloomed once in STARDOM. I think she has a sense of mission for the organization, but it is difficult for her to bloom a second time. Personally, I want to see her show a toned body as a wrestler. It's not like the Showa era, so I'm not saying that just because she's a pro wrestler, she should drink and eat a lot. But I don't approve of a fat wrestler," said Ogawa.
On his Twitch stream, Kenny Omega was asked about Rossy's comments.
Yeah, that's very odd. The funny this is, is I remember comments I made [on Twitch], and maybe I said too much. People attacked me, instantly, 'How dare I say anything bad about Rossy. I'm lying. I'm a liar. What would I know? If I know something, maybe I should just say what it is because if I don't say it, I'm just as guilty.' It doesn't work that way. If you think it works that way, you don't know how life works. Someone like Rossy does a good job of revealing himself to the world on his own. Sooner enough, whether he goes full mask off on his own and will start talking, the writing will be on the wall. I don't want to be caught up in this. I'm doing my own thing. As soon as I said anything, I didn't even allude to anything, necessarily, but what happened was his buddy in the industry, Fumi Saito, came to his rescue and had some disparaging remarks towards me. It became this entire thing that I didn't want it to become," said Omega.
Fans can learn of Omega's past comments regarding Rossy by clicking here.
Omega continued, "I would never........here's the thing, in general, more wrestling promotions that get a lot of press and have the ability to stream, have TV deals, salaries, I do believe those are always great opportunities for wrestlers. I would never want to be a reason why those opportunities get taken off TV. It's very easy, sometimes, if you're working for a bad person, is to keep your own nose clean, do your job, and you can still make a positive difference in the wrestling world. You can still tell a positive message and make the right type of fan and change the way people perceive wrestling in a positive way, through your work. The one thing I will say about Rossy; he has given a platform, as in he's given a ring, he's created opportunities for large scale shows for Joshi wrestling. I can never take that away from him.
"It's the same thing Vince McMahon did for a lot of people. Say what you will about Vince. Without Vince, there would be no WrestleMania, there would be no this or that, no Stone Cold Steve Austin, Rock, John Cena, Roman Reigns, the list goes on and on. A lot of stuff that came out that went on behind the scenes, some of these people had nothing to do with that. They just kept their noses clean, did their job, and allowed for that platform that existed to make something better of the wrestling world and raised themselves up, and raise other talents up as well."
Janel Grant, a former WWE employee, filed a lawsuit in January 2024 against Vince McMahon, WWE, and John Laurinaitis. The lawsuit accuses McMahon of sexual assault and sex trafficking.
Omega continued, "We're all independent contractors. What we do in the ring isn't necessarily a reflection of our boss or bosses. It's not a reflection of the people that sponsor our shows. A lot of times, the performers don't even know where the money and opportunities come from, they just know it's an opportunity and I need to make the most of it. For someone like Utami, who is an incredible performer in the ring and has had a number of wonderful matches in STARDOM and Marigold, would I want for the rug to be pulled out from under her and for Marigold to disappear off the face of the planet and for her to then possibly be out of a job? Absolutely not. I think she's so good that there would be an opportunity anyway, possibly AEW or STARDOM. Rossy is Rossy. Whatever happens with him from here on in or the near future, I don't care. I care about the performers and the good men and women who have the best of intentions in that scene and wrestling. Rossy doesn't equal Marigold. There are a ton of talented ladies, referees that I work with in All Japan, incredible referees. I want these people to be seen and have their performances seen on a worldwide scale. Let's say something happens to Rossy down the line. I don't think that means Marigold ceases to exist. He is but one man. That's it. Marigold is a collection of incredible talent that have yet to completely find their stride. The best is yet to come for them. I always wish the best of their talent. I do think people need to be very careful if they don't have the information, true information, or if they have the true information and spread misinformation to try to protect him. I would say, probably best to watch the people you enjoy, cheer for them, wish the best for them, and whatever happens to people behind the scenes will probably come to light eventually, but I don't want it to ever come down on the talent."
Fans can read Fumi Saito's comments defending Ogawa from Omega's 2024 comments by clicking here.
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