Kenny Omega Says He Has No Obligation To Go Back To Japan If Will Ospreay Doesn’t Beat Him

Kenny Omega says he has no obligation to go back to Japan if Will Ospreay doesn’t beat him.

At NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17, Kenny Omega made his return to New Japan for the first time since 2019 to defeat Will Ospreay for the IWGP United States Championship.

This was the first clash for the two stars since they developed a heated rivalry based on Omega not believing Ospreay was a worthy successor to him as top international star in NJPW.

Ospreay defeated Lance Archer at Dominion to win the number contenders tournament for the IWGP United States Championship. The rematch is now set for the upcoming AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door event on Sunday, June 25.

Speaking with Jay Onrait of TSN, Omega was asked about Ospreay’s harsh words about Canada following his win at Dominion. He replied:

“I really don’t understand his beef with Canada. Perhaps it’s more Canadian people, and I think every country has some despicable people living within it. Sure, maybe I’m one of them.”

“Perhaps the business has clouded my soul a little bit, darkened my heart. I’m not sure. I’m just here being me.”

“What’s most important about all that is I still believe deep down that I’m probably the best wrestler and best representative on a worldwide scale of professional wrestling. So love me or not, hate me or not, I’m the benchmark.”

“I know I’m the benchmark, so Will has to step up his game, and he has to show something much different than what he showed at Tokyo Dome because now we’re in Canada, and now this is probably gonna be his last chance to win his belt back. If he doesn’t, I really have no obligation to go back to Japan either, as much as I’d like to.”

“So they just may lose one of their most prized possessions for an undisclosed amount of time. So it’s a very big match for Will.”

Since winning one of NJPW’s top titles at Wrestle Kingdom 17, Kenny Omega has not returned to Japan to defend the IWGP United States Championship. He has only defended the title once on AEW TV.

As previously reported, Omega revealed why he returned to NJPW to face Ospreay earlier this year.

For the full lineup for AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door, click here.

Transcription via Fightful

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