All Elite Wrestling Champion Kenny Omega is set to defend his championship at the mouth of his thorny collision against John Moxley on the “Revolution” pay-per-view Sunday (B / R Live, 8pm). Before stepping into a ring with barbed wire for the ropes, which causes an explosion when touched, Omega took time for some Q&A with Joseph Staszewski of The Post.
(Edited for clarity and length)
Q: Why was this the right time to bring the blasted barbed wire death mark to AEW?
A: I think that every week is always the right time to try something new, and that’s how I tried this match with weeks, to the pay-per-view, that a lot has happened, surprisingly. That things you didn’t expect to see on our programming, things you didn’t expect to see in professional wrestling and it’s just like cherry on sorry. After watching Don Kallis, The Good Brothers (Carl Anderson and Doc Gallows) from Impact, Kenta, there is no better way to get water out of my mind than just blowing each other. We are ending this.
Q: It is important for AEW not to shy away from more hardcore type matches, which we don’t often see on American televisionThe
One: I still see pro wrestling a lot as an art. I still want to consider myself the most professional. People like to coincide with violent stipends. They kind of like to be called garbage wrestling or maybe we don’t have a certain area of expertise or talent, that’s why we’re going there. For me, this is the complete opposite. I want to be regarded as one of the best good athletes in professional wrestling and I want to test myself in all the ways that the sport has to offer.
For me to do this and do it effectively, I have to have some kind of experience in these types of situations. I want to test myself with a type of wrestler who specializes in this type of stuff. And of course, I don’t think Moxley died of an exploded barbed wire, but it’s not out of his wheelhouse to do something very hardcore.
We have this very competitive nature, both of us, but in very different ways and I think we have very different motivations in wrestling as well, but by adding this condition to this match I feel that we are both motivated as Are in a different way. But because we are both so inspired, I believe that the stars will align and that something special will come out of it.
Q: Do you have a type of match or style that you feel you haven’t tested yourself that you still want?
A: One of them was mixed-wrestling. I had a ton in Japan and they always had a lot of fun. Such as shoot-style wrestling. I have a background in juu-jitsu and mixed martial arts and people are probably surprised to hear that I love video games.
Even though my style doesn’t quite use those (jiu-jitsu) skills that I trained back in the day, I still have them. When I can be in the right circumstances, it is fun to show those people. I have done that kind of matches in Japan, but before my New Japan time when no one really knew who I was. It would be nice to go back and get a chance where I can show up. I mean, it’s all the time.
Q: Why was there a cleaner version of Kenny Omega that you wanted to use for this long-awaited single that runs in AEW?
A: When I saw how relationships with Don Kallis were going to develop, it reminded me of the days when I first started using The Cleaner character in New Japan, where I would have success in the ring , But I was not against using dishonest tactics. I was not against using my fellow peers. We always traveled in a pack. People can relate to the cleaners for whatever reason, and they enjoy the character. I really think this current incarnation is very different, but if it is easier for people to do it for something that I have done in the past then I think you could call it cleaner because it was in 2015-16 Started in New Japan.
Q: So you thought that this is a character that people can relate to easily?
One: For me, this is really something new, because I was not really an active manager. At Bullet Club, we had active wrestlers in the ring who sometimes helped us with nefarious tactics and all that. But this is the first time I was actually a manager. We’re doing an active segment on TV, the fun things I’ve always wanted to do. Sports entertainment stuff, but this kind of stuff is what I love about being such a character and being able to use those types of segments, going for a day of golf or visiting a children’s daycare Huh. For me this is all super fun stuff, doing what I love to do and never really got a chance to do it in New Japan because the wrestling culture is so different.
Q: Now that the forbidden door is open and there is a connection between AEW and New Japan, is it obliged to cross you and IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kota Ibushi in some time? Obviously a match fan would really like to see.
A: I always felt like that when we attended too and I came to the US to try this thing with AEW, and Ibushi really still wanted to accomplish what she had always dreamed of while living in Japan, I thought so At some point things will come to a complete halt once again. I knew that both of us were down in search of our dreams in wrestling and we were essentially breaking ourselves. We were worried that we would not get back to that point because it would be scrapped to do so.
But he has done what he has always wanted to do and I am doing something I never thought I would do right now, but it would put both of us in a situation where it is possible. It is well within the realm of possibility if the world was somewhat open to these types of things. If companies are open to this then this is also not an issue.
Question: I am not saying it will be tomorrow, but…
One: The way I see it, it’s one thing to think about the point of view of the fan and the fan can say, “Hey this is super fun, how can you not do this” or “This would be a great match . ” The reality of the situation is that there are a ton of great matches with wrestlers from all over the world. Just pair them together and they will put on a great match.
Yes, there is a personal relationship, an emotional connection between me and Ibushi, but luckily and unfortunately one of the things I find in the wrestling business is the idea, matches, when you will make money for the industry and both promotions are doing a crossover. Huh. In this case, I think it is very irrefutable that it is an angle or a matchup or an event that can make both companies a lot of money. If that is the selling point on the business end of things, then perhaps the most difficult obstacle. It is always up to people in offices to convince you at the end of the day.
It seems to me that my fate has always been tied to Ibushi since my first visit to Japan in 2008, so it seems fair in some way. Does that mean it’s going to happen now? I do not know. that sounds weird. When I think about it, you exhaust those people a little bit.
Question: Which has been your biggest player since the women’s tournament?
A: We have taken short segments on TV where the matches will be five, six, seven minutes. Now we’re getting into the 15-minute limit and it’s really hard to go for these long matches with these short, really quick bursts. They were fully prepared for it and they were ready to take the responsibility of going there with that kind of energy and that kind of appetite for which you have to start a fresh match and that type of drive and that energy in that whole segment Needs to continue. And just kill it until it’s over.
I was very happy to hear a lot of feedback that everyone was enjoying those matches, along with those (me) and some of our characters. And for some of our wrestlers, people will write them, maybe “they’re too old” or “I don’t like their character” or “they don’t have any charisma.” Now that we get to see them in a more competitive capacity, opinions on almost everyone have changed, which is great.
Q: There has been a push for Maki Itoh. Is there a chance we see more about him and is there a chance that he eventually gets signed by AEW? He probably has that charisma that can translate well.
One: We have been able to see Yuka Sakazaki on more than one occasion for AEW. People really took him and they like him and he has got some very unique qualities that make him special and a star. I also thought that Maki Itoh was one of the people I always thought, is this too much? Is this too much for American television? He gets a little impolite at times, you know what I mean. But I was always a firm believer that he would rise above it and he would translate.
I think one of the qualities that she had in the match were that you actually had moments in the match where you thought she could win. I think that’s why people were kinda disappointed because maybe she wasn’t because she wasn’t entirely a pushover and comedy character. She really fought for a respected athlete.
Shall we see her back? This is not something that you really answer yes or no to because in this day and age because of all the travel restrictions there are a lot of barriers for people to get out of the country, and that is another program that they need to do in Japan. What is required to follow is a mandatory two-week quarantine where you have to do nothing.
But we are not stupid. I’m not stupid. I know there is a demand for him and I would like people to see him live as well. It is not fixed for me either. If I can trap my fingers and show him in Florida, yes I can easily say that you are going to see him, but it is much more complicated than that.
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