Kenny Omega comments on the controversial Tiger Driver ’91 spot at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door.
At the June 25 pay-per-view, Omega defended the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship against Will Ospreay. One spot in the match garnered plenty of criticism, as Ospreay dropped Omega on his head with the Tiger Driver ’91, a move that is rarely seen these days due to the dangers involved.
In an interview with Raj Prashad of Uproxx, Omega discussed the Tiger Driver spot and noted that he wanted to elicit a response from people and take them on an emotional rollercoaster.
“That’s what I do,” Omega said. “There were a number of things that were designed to elicit a response from people, whether it be positive or negative. But I wanted to take people on an emotional rollercoaster.”
Omega continued by citing his history of injuries and noting that he wanted to hook the viewers into thinking there was no way he could kick out of the Tiger Driver. He made it clear that, in his eyes, it’s all part of his job, as the former world champion was determined to wow the crowd.
“Hopefully it leaves fans questioning is he okay? It’s all about the match,” Omega said. “We’re battling in that ring and I want you to go along for the ride with us. If they thought everything else in that match was just the worst sh– they’ve ever seen in their life, but that one moment, got them for a second, ‘He’s not going to kick out, he’s not going to get up, they better get the gurney, call in the f——airlift,’ that’s perfect. And if I had a whole match of those types of reactions, even better.”
“It’s all part of my job, it’s all part of my profession. These are things that I take a lot of pride in and I think that’s why when I went into this match, there’s a lot of physical and mental preparation that goes into it because I was really preparing myself to wow the crowd to this kind of level.”
As for the backlash to the move, Omega noted that plenty of people have criticized it or stated that they wouldn’t have done it, but he didn’t get to where he is without doing things that everyone else could do. He emphasized that he thinks about his health, and he wouldn’t do something he didn’t fully trust himself to do.
“People that wanted to shit on something or people that want to frown upon something, or for people that want to say, ‘Well, if it were me, I wouldn’t have done that.’ I didn’t get to where I was by being able to do things that everyone else could do,” Omega said. “I realized, and I recognized that I do have special talents that maybe not everyone else can do.
“Without revealing too much, I think a lot about my health. I think a lot about life after wrestling. I think a lot about my current life. I think about next week’s Dynamite and the week after that. I would never do something I didn’t trust myself in performing 100 percent.”
Omega also shared his thoughts on the match itself and stated that he feels the magic when he shares the ring with Ospreay, and he’s thankful for people who can bring out the pressure to perform.
“I feel that magic when I’m in there with Will. I feel that pressure to perform, to deliver, to give the type of performance that I guess I’m known for,” Omega said. “So I’m thankful for people on the planet like Will who can awaken that part in me, that as time goes by, it is harder to summon.”
“Will had his moment in the sun. But I’m proud of the performance. I’m proud of everything that I was able to do in preparation for the match, the sacrifices to keep my mind in a good place for that match. So I was firing on all cylinders. Before the match, during the match, and I’d say after it was all done, I lost this belt. You are that guy now, Will, I’m just going to kind of let it go.”
Ospreay recently reflected on his match with Omega at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door. Check out his comments here.
Click here to check out the card for the July 5 episode of AEW Dynamite. WrestleZone will have coverage of the show as it airs.
