Kenny Omega recently spoke with New Japan Pro Wrestling ahead of his highly anticipated Dominion match against Kazuchika Okada. Below are some highlights of the interview.
Why he wanted a 2 out of 3 falls match:
“First of all, you’ve got to think back, why is Okada asking for a no time limit match? To me, that’s an insult, Okada has come to the point where you know what, ‘I’m going t give myself a handicap.’ He’s challenging me to a match with no time limit even though he knows I have more stamina, now I am a fair man and the last thing I want to hear are excuses. I don’t want Okada or any of his fans to say ‘Hey Kenny, you won, you’re the champ, but Okada allowed you to win it with that 60-minute time limit,’ so that’s why I wanted to make it fair.”
What is the secret to winning?
“I know the secret to this match, and the secret is in the first fall, I won’t let you take it. If you think it will be a 10 minutes here, 15 there and a 5-minute stretch and we are going home, it’s not going to happen. I won’t be giving you a first free fall if I need a little rest, I am going to take the first fall and control the pace. When that match gets long and we are coming near 40 minutes, 50 minutes and I need just one more fall, you are not going to have the energy to get your first fall. The secret is in the first fall, and if I take that first fall, Okada, you’re done.”
His feelings on Kota Ibushi:
“I thought that he stood for everything that I hated and everything I wanted to destroy, both the man himself and what he was inside of me. Then I realized it wasn’t the feeling at all and it was something that I needed to embrace. All of my best performances have all been ones that have come from the heart, so why would I shut something away that is still so near and dear to me? Ibushi was that he is that and always will be, I have realized that moving forward I am much stronger as a person and as a human being with him by my side. For the first time in a long time, I have had a training partner and someone to help me formulate a game plan for Okada. I am not saying I am arriving at this arena with a bunch of new moves, but I am saying this version of Kenny Omega might be the most prepared and a big part of that is that I have let someone back into my life that I cared about and that I loved.”
Please, H/T ProWrestling.com for any quotes used.
