Kenny Omega Gives Update On Health, Facing Okada At Dominion 6.11
Former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega recent penned a piece on Sports Illustrated to give the fans an update on his health and hype his upcoming match against Kazuchika Okada at Dominion 6.11 in Osaka, Japan.
Here are the highlights.
On his current health:
“Okada and I had the most recent Best of the Super Juniors tour off (partially), and it’s done wonders for my health both physically and mentally. Even though it has only been a few weeks, I’ve made improvements to my physique, healed various nagging injuries, and found new sources of inspiration for future matches. As important as the rematch with Okada is, I’m always thinking of my narrative for the entire year and store ideas or story elements in my head for future use. At the end of the day, I’m a professional wrestler, so there will always be a ton of details beyond my control. That’s where having ideas and ways to tweak unfavorable situations comes in handy.”
On having a different match with Okada than Wrestle Kingdom 11:
“It would actually be easy to copy the old formula for an easy 4.5+ match rating, but I’ve never been one to follow patterns for the sake of a standalone rating and/or reaction. I think this is why I’m especially proud of my year in 2016. It was an incredible journey that I never could have prepared for, and forced me to grow and evolve on the fly. In a sense, all of my supporters and NJPW’s supporters took the journey with me, which made it feel extra special.”
You can read the full article here.
Interesting Omega Statistic
Kenny Omega is once again vying for his first reign as IWGP Champion, which he was unable to accomplish against Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 11. If Omega is able to defeat Okada for the championship, he would become the first ever Canadian-born wrestler to become the IWGP Heavyweight Champion.
In addition, he would become only the second person to win both the IWGP Heavyweight and Jr. Heavyweight Championships. This has only been accomplished by Nobuhiko Takada, who was the second person to win the Jr. title in 1986, and won the Heavyweight title 10 years later in 1996.
