Kenny Omega has revealed that NJPW had planned for a huge match against Kota Ibushi at Wrestle Kingdom 12 – before booking the legendary match with Chris Jericho for the show.
The pair have fought many times in the past, in some of the biggest matches Japan has ever seen.
Weaving in a storyline that has lasted nearly 15 years, Ibushi vs Omega is also a dramatic, story-driven match that can’t help but get you off your feet and routing for one of these men to win.
Kota Ibushi hits Kenny Omega with the Kamigoye during their match at the G1 Climax in NJPW/
Their story really began with their tag team together, known as the Golden Lovers.
It portrayed them as a couple in and outside the ring, potentially playing on their real life relationship (the pair are rumored to be a couple outside the ring, although that has yet to be proven).
While Kenny Omega does not talk about his sexuality or real-life relationships, fans have noticed clues in his work to assume something more than friendship with him and Ibushi.
They started teaming together in 2010 and their careers have been intertwined ever since.
The only exception to this was when Omega moved to AEW – and during a panel, he explained exactly why he couldn’t ask him friend to join him in this new venture in the United States.
“I knew that I couldn’t ask Ibushi to sign because I knew it was his time, and he deserved it,” Omega said as he teared up.
“Anyway, I knew that if I asked for him to come here, that he would. And if I begged for him to come, that he would. But, I knew that his dream before anything that we ever did was to win the IWGP Heavyweight Belt”.
The pair last wrestled in 2018 at the G1 Climax. Ibushi came out victorious during that match, winning after a grueling 23 minutes and booking his place in the finals of the tournament, that he would eventually lose to Hiroshi Tanahashi.
Prior to that, the Golden Lovers had not fought in a one-on-one match since 2012 in DDT, and Kenny Omega revealed that the pair almost faced off in January 2018 before Chris Jericho made his shock debut in NJPW.
Kenny Omega defeated Chris Jericho at Wrestle Kingdom 12, in one of the biggest attraction matches in the history of NJPW.
Speaking to his eventual Wrestle Kingdom 12 opponent on the Talk is Jericho Podcast, Kenny Omega revealed that if Chris Jericho could not make it to wrestle him in the Tokyo Dome, New Japan Pro-Wrestling booker Gedo had planned to “hotshot” Kenny Omega vs Kota Ibushi.
It would have been a huge match for the company, albeit not conducive to the Golden Lovers storyline that had been woven over the years.
On the episode dubbed “Talk is Jericho: Alpha vs Omega“, Kenny Omega revealed this about a planned match with Kota Ibushi at Wrestle Kingdom 12.
“There was no concrete plan for me at the [Tokyo] Dome. They really wanted to shotgun me and Ibushi. The idea was ‘Well, Kenny [Omega] has been having some good matches and this would be a really good match so…’ but like, you now me, I don’t want to just go out there. I want a reason. The story is so important and the emotion is even more important than that. “
However, much to the delight of Omega and Gedo (he was quoted as saying “I want to do that” when asked about the potential matchup), Chris Jericho became available to wrestle at Wrestle Kingdom 12, making one of the highest profile matches in Wrestle Kingdom history.
WWE Legend Chris Jericho returned to NJPW for the first time in two decades to battle fellow Winnipeg native Kenny Omega in a match billed as “Alpha vs Omega”.
Kota Ibushi was recently announced as joining Kenny Omega at Blood & Guts 2023, making his debut in AEW inside the legendary match type.
This could eventually lead to a final Kenny Omega vs Kota Ibushi match, something the fans would be more than happy to see.
Hamish is a writer and podcaster and wrestling fan who is a key part of the Atletifo team.
After playing countless hours of WrestleMania X8 on the Gamecube, he discovered Rey Mysterio getting his head crushed by The Great Khali, and thus a love for professional wrestling was born.
He is also a Media Graduate, as well as writing for multiple sites about Premier League football and the culture of Wales – his home country.
