Kenny Omega Says NJPW Became The ‘Child That I Was Ashamed Of’

Kenny Omega’s in-ring skills put him on everyone’s list of best pro wrestlers on the planet right now. The Cleaner honed his skills in NJPW, where he squared off against the likes of Tetsuya Naito, Kazuchika Okada and many others. Omega had a brilliant time in NJPW over the last few years, but it seems he is also ashamed of NJPW for a good reason.

The Best Bout Machine has not stepped foot inside an NJPW ring since Wrestle Kingdom 13, where he lost the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship to Hiroshi Tanahashi in a solid singles bout. Right after that, Omega made his way to AEW and became a mainstay there.

While speaking to NJPW1972, Kenny Omega talked about his time in New Japan Pro Wrestling over the years. Omega stated that he is ashamed of the promotion in the same way that a parent might feel disappointed by their worst kid.

“For me, New Japan kinda became that child that I was ashamed of. I didn’t want to talk about New Japan to other people. I wanted to go back to those days where New Japan was in those infantile stages of creeping over to the West. Under my help of course! With me as the captain, it was sure to succeed.”

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Kenny Omega is set to challenge Will Ospreay for the IWGP United States Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 17 on January 4th. We will have to wait and see whether The Cleaner will end up winning the match and become a staple of NJPW again.

What’s your take on Kenny Omega? Sound off in the comments!