New Japan Pro Wrestling is preparing to lose one of their biggest stars as Kenny Omega will reportedly be leaving the promotion.
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According to a report from Tokyo Sports, Omega looks like he will be pursuing opportunities elsewhere. In comments given to the publication (which were mostly done in character), Omega notes that he will be stepping away from Japan and wrestling in general for a little bit and raised the possibility of signing with WWE or AEW.
Omega lost the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to Hiroshi Tanahashi at WrestleKingdom 13 on Friday in what was, as expected, an exceptional match. Omega told Tokyo Sports that he would like to have another match with Tanahashi down the road but said right now he is going to take some time off from the ring as he debates his next move.
“There is no real place for me to fit, so it’s best for me not to be in (NJPW). I can’t be there working under Tanahashi. I don’t think he’s surpassed me, don’t think he’s better. If we can, I want to face him again. But I need time away, and not just from New Japan,” Omega said.
When asked about whether WWE or AEW is next on his horizon, Omega had an interesting answer.
“If I go to WWE, the fans there will be pleased, and the fans will be pleased if I go to AEW. I want to be in a place where I’m going to be happy,” Omega noted.
The Tokyo Sports report notes that Omega’s contract with New Japan runs through the end of the month so one would think that would deny him a chance to appear in the Royal Rumble on January 27th as a surprise entrant should he choose to accept WWE’s offer, which has already been presented to him and is reportedly incredibly lucrative.
Omega has been working in Japan for 10 years. Prior to his move there, he had been signed to WWE and was working in their developmental system (Deep South Wrestling) for a brief period. The wrestling world will now wait with anticipation to see if one of the biggest wrestling stars in the world not currently under a WWE contract makes a move back to Vince McMahon’s company once again.
The alternate option, signing with AEW, would also be intriguing given Omega’s history with the Young Bucks, Adam Page, and Cody Rhodes. Signing Omega would be a huge coup for the organization as they prepare to make a splash in 2019. AEW is scheduled to hold a press conference in Jacksonville, Florida on Tuesday to further clarify more details about the newly launched company as well as their upcoming event, Double or Nothing.
