Kenny Omega Claims Will Ospreay Got Injured Because He Tried To ‘Fill His Shoes’

Kenny Omega is currently the AAA Mega Champion, Impact Wrestling Champion and also the AEW World Champion. He has been booked as one of the best champions in recent memory and his high work rate speaks for itself.

Kenny Omega made a name for himself with his incredible matches against the likes of Kazuchika Okada and Tetsuya Naito in NJPW and is regarded as one of the NJPW champions in recent memory.

Will Ospreay recently had to vacate his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship after suffering a neck injury earlier in the month and this certainly shocked fans. However, it seems Omega has a different take on Ospreay.

While speaking to Sports Illustrated, Kenny Omega shared his thoughts on Ospreay having to vacate the IWGP Heavyweight Title. Omega stated that Ospreay simply couldn’t fill his shoes in NJPW and that is why he got injured.

“Before I left New Japan, I pulled aside Ospreay and Jay White. I don’t even know if I should tell this story, but I will. I told both, ‘This company, at least the western expansion and the pride of the foreigners, it’s all in your hands. They’re going to look to you to carry this thing, so you’ve got to do it’. I said it to Jay and Ospreay knowing it was a likely scenario, but also hoping to light a fire under both of them.

“For Ospreay, he’d really came into his own. He made a complete career shift, and he was going to be a fantastic champion. He made changes to his body, he made changes to his style, his look, his demeanor. He became the person that he needed to be the champion of that company. Unfortunately, becoming champion wasn’t enough for him. He tried to fill my shoes.

“Physically, even though he is one of the most gifted performers to ever step foot in the ring, there is only one Kenny Omega – and you can’t fill those shoes. Thus, now his belt is vacant, so perhaps it was always meant to be my belt and my belt alone. That’s not me making a firm statement as to whether I’ll make a venture out there, just that there is no one there that can fill my shoes or override my legacy. When Ospreay comes back, he’ll have to re-analyze who he is and who he’s meant to be, because he’s not meant to be me.”

At this point in time, it is not known when Will Ospreay will be making his return to the squared circle. On the other hand, Kenny Omega will be defending his AEW World Title against PAC and Orange Cassidy at AEW Double Or Nothing on May 30. We will have to see if Omega will be able to retain his title or not at the pay-per-view.