NJPW star Kenny Omega recently spoke with Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard about various topics. Here are the highlights.
On The New Day: “New Day rocks,” admitted Omega. “I can’t lie. What would it do and what would it prove if they sucked? We’re The Elite, so we have to challenge the top act on the planet. You don’t see us challenging some other three man unit–we’re trying to make history, and we’re challenging the best–New Day rocks.”
On the possibility of going to NXT: “I have spoken with the heads at NXT, and they’ve all said, ‘If you want to come down, let us know–the second your visa is in place, you’re on TV the next week,’” said Omega. “I thought that was really cool of them to say, and I appreciate they recognize that I’d add some value to their product, so I always kept that in my mind as an option. But this is going back to my Deep South days–I still haven’t quite shown them what I can do on my own, and that’s what I think this year is going to do for me.”
On Shinsuke Nakamura’s debut in NXT: “A lot of people heard the reaction that AJ received when he came out of nowhere at the Royal Rumble–if Nakamura debuted at WrestleMania, knowing that fans in that crowd travel from around the globe for that weekend, Nakamura’s reaction would have dwarfed AJ’s. That’s not saying Nakamura is better than AJ, but that atmosphere is built for someone who eats it up like Nakamura. It’s not like you can say, ‘We’ll hold off until next year’s WrestleMania,’” explained Omega. “It’s a shame that they have decided it was on an NXT show. As someone who knows what he’s capable of and seen his character develop, I just think it’s a missed opportunity. Perhaps it’s a trust issue, not knowing if he can handle the big stage right off the bat or whether the fans will appreciate the kind of character he brings to the table.”
Omega also talked about his career and more. You can read the entire interview here.
