Kenny Omega delivered a heated message after his return to the ring at NJPW x AEW Wrestle Dynasty.
Omega had been out of action since December 2023 due to diverticulitis. He returned to the ring at NJPW x AEW Wrestle Dynasty and defeated Gabe Kidd in a hard-fought match.
In his backstage comments, Kenny Omega discussed his return and noted that he initially felt betrayed when the fans booed him.
“I know that I’m not a full-time member of New Japan,” Kenny Omega said. “I feel like I can speak more from the heart. You can make whatever you want from this. But I always f*cking hated doing comments after matches because my feeling is that if I didn’t give every ounce of energy in all of my matches, then I never did my job. So for you people to expect me to have the energy to say something truly from the heart, it takes a little bit of energy, and that energy is something I don’t have. Today, I came out here, and I selfishly expected everyone to cheer for me. Perhaps I selfishly believed that I did something courageous by making my comeback against a monster like Gabe. But today, I heard the people boo, and I heard the people cheer for Gabe. At first, I can’t lie, I felt betrayed. I chose you over the company that I was contracted with, and you people booed me. [Cries]
“I started to regret my decision. But then as the match went on, I changed my f*cking mind. I felt like, yeah, I did my f*cking job. I did what I came here to do. And I proved what I want, and that was I wanted Gabe to show spirit. I wanted Gabe to show guts, I wanted Gabe to prove that he could be something special, in the same way that I was when everybody cheered for me when I showed my heart, when I showed my spirit, when I showed my passion. I guess that’s just the business that I’m involved in.”
Kenny Omega References Kota Ibushi
Omega also noted that wrestling was a selfish business that took a lot, and he had lost a lot of friends. He seemingly referenced his friend Kota Ibushi when he said that the one person who didn’t turn their back on him was refused entry to the show.
“It selfishly takes and f*cking takes and takes until you’re broken,” Kenny Omega said. “I’ve broken for f*cking years, and I still come back feeling like I want to give something back when all you people do is take and take and take and take. I only have myself to blame. I’ve lost so many friends or people that I thought were friends because everybody in this business is a f*cking fraud that will turn their back on you in a second. The one person here in Japan that never turned his back on me was refused entry.
“So yeah, I truly felt alone, and I truly felt that after I gave everything that I had, you people still wanted more, and you people still wanted to take from me, you wanted to take more than what I have. Everything that I have left in me, and then some. And yet, I still, at the end of the day, have no regrets. Because it was a decision that I made, to give everything to wrestling. Congratulations. You’ve made me less than a shell of a man, and I’m still expected to hop on a flight to give even more tomorrow because I’m nothing but a tool to be used and abused until the wheels fall off, and until there’s nothing left. Oh well. It’s too late to turn back now. So the only decision I have left is to give whatever energy to rebuild and take back everything that you stole from me.”
Kenny Omega On Gabe Kidd
After thanking his fans, Omega commented on facing Gabe Kidd. He said that he made the right choice in choosing to face him.
“To the people that still believe, that give me energy, thank you,” Omega said. “It truly does mean the world. So until next time, if there is a next time, goodbye and goodnight. And Gabe, yeah, you’re right. You do have spirit, you do have guts, and I made the right choice in choosing my return match with a person who had every intention to kill me in that ring. You showed me today that I can still go on. So I don’t expect anything back from you, Gabe. You do have my appreciation. Until next time, goodbye, goodnight…goodbye.”
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