Kenny Omega defeated Tomohiro Ishii in the main event of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s two day tour in Long Beach, California Sunday night to become the first ever IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Champion.
The final match in an eight-man tournament to crown a brand new United States Champion was a brutal affair, with both men emptying the tank in a 31-minute war of attrition. Both Omega and Ishii had competed earlier in the night, with the Cleaner moving past Jay Lethal and Ishii defeating British technical wizard Zack Sabre Jr. The leader of the Bullet Club was greeted by his entire faction in the closing moment of the G1 USA Special, sending a message of encouragement to his fans all around the world after a difficult year that included two failed opportunities at Kazuchika Okada’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
While Kenny must prepare for the grueling G1 Climax tournament kicking off in Japan later this month, he announced to members of the media that he will be scouring the entire planet looking for competition for his U.S. Heavyweight title. And that might mean defending it in other promotions, or bringing some brand new blood to the New Japan ring…
“New Japan is a great promotion. We’ve got a lot of great wrestlers, but not all of the best wrestlers are here. I’m scouting the entire planet. We have to make this mean something. This won’t be a failure like the NEVER belt. This won’t be a failure like the [Intercontinental Championship] was originally. Remember how bad that was? I do. This belt is going to be strong. It’s going to be something you look forward to seeing. The scouting starts now. I am going to scour the planet, and you are going to see legendary defenses.”
As for how the brand new six-star champion will celebrate his big victory, Omega and the entire Bullet Club are headed to the nearest In-N-Out Burger.
