Kenny Omega vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi is set to headline Wrestle Kingdom 13 for the IWGP Heavyweight championship.
The Elite member was recently interviewed by Rolling Stone on his huge title defense on New Japan Pro Wrestling’s biggest show of the year. Omega and Tanahashi have both been very critical of each other’s styles and wrestling ability in the past. Back in September, Omega responded to Tanahashi being negative of his matches, calling the former IWGP Heavyweight champion “boring”.
This time,
Wrestlezone was able to translate Omega's response to Tanahashi, who said that Omega had no grace inside the squared circle:
“I understand that Tanahashi must feel disappointed that a wrestler like me is at the top of the heap. But to say I have no grace? I’d say that applies to him, not me. To suggest that mine is a style that isn’t New Japan like is a big problem. It’s saying Tanahashi’s style, the style that presents himself as the ace, is the only style that’s correct."
“I absolutely understand and respect that Tanahashi did so much to pull NJPW out of the dark ages, but from there, recently, the ones that have brought us to this awesome level have been Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito and of course, the best bout machine, Kenny Omega.
“Look, it’s absolutely important to have faith and belief in your style, but to push that on everyone else, I’m not behind that. The important thing isn’t just evolution, but who the evolution is for. I want the fans to be happy. Worldwide. For New Japan, we stream to a global audience, and I want to wrestle in a way that appeals to a global audience."
“I don’t want this to just be about wrestling fans, but anyone. That they can see me and fall in love with wrestling in an instant. Hardcore, comedy, strong style, none of those bullshit labels. Just knowing that if I’m in the ring, I’m doing everything to provide the best bout. Guys who only know and respect the NJPW strong style don’t have their focus on a global audience and can’t hope to attain it.”
You can see The Rolling Stone article
here.