Life changed after Wrestle Dynasty for Gabe Kidd.
The IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion got the privilege to be the first man to fight Kenny Omega since he was sidelined with diverticulitis. The 28-year-old wasted no time sh*t talking Omega throughout the entire build. And Kidd even promised to prove that Kenny Omega isn’t the best in the world.
Kidd and Omega arguably had the best match of 2025. It was a certified classic between the two men that saw the former AEW World Champion pull out the win. As you can imagine, it bruised Kidd’s ego and he revealed this during his interview with Midnight Kingdom.
“You know, it was just in terms of results, the Tokyo Dome match (against Kenny Omega), obviously, it got that reaction and then, in February, the match with (Yota) Tsuji too but, I wasn’t winning and then, I had to deal with f*cking HOUSE OF TORTURE for near enough three months, you know? Well, two months, March until May. That is a lot… I really had a difficult time. I wasn’t getting results and then, I was off in May because Super Juniors was happening and I was doing things but, I wasn’t satisfied. I knew I was doing wrong in my life and I kept doing it.
I was partying too much and kind of, I got comfortable after the Wrestle (Dynasty) match. I thought this is what I had been working towards; this kind of reaction, and I got comfortable and lazy and I got fat. I put on a lot of weight. Right before the Dominion match, it was, ‘I need to change.’ If I’m gonna be what I say I am, if I’m gonna do what I say I’m gonna do, there’s a lot of responsibility on me now, there’s a lot of targets and pressure on my back so, I have to strap it up and I see my life now like a samurai.
Despite that minor setback, Gabe Kidd ensures that he’s no longer wasting time and will continue down the path of greatness.
I live every day with purpose. Every day, I am doing something towards my goal. There is no wasted time, and I had been wasting a lot of time but not anymore. I am on the path now, on the path to greatness and on the path to being the greatest wrestler that New Japan has ever seen.”