Kenny Omega: The Pro-Wrestler Who Changed My World
Written By: corinne 🌸
TW: Mentions of suicide and self-harm.
Every fan of professional wrestling has that one wrestler who inspires them in a variety of ways — wrestlers can inspire the fans by encouraging them to be themselves, and even motivating the said fan to pursue their own career in professional wrestling. The emotional connection between professional wrestlers and their fanbase is one of if not the most beautiful aspects of the art form. One of the most beautiful connections in wrestling is between current AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and his fanbase. For me personally, the way I resonate with Kenny Omega’s professional wrestling journey ignited a flame in me, as he helped me get through the roughest patches of my life. Wrestlers are not just inspirations but they have the ability to be heroes to fans, and Kenny Omega certainly fits in to that category.
Before I discovered Kenny Omega’s wrestling, I was in quite the rough patch throughout 2015–2017, as previously mentioned. I am diagnosed with PCOS, which was uncommon for people my age at that time. I never knew what was going on with my body — acne grew on my face, I was slowly starting to gain weight — and that was something I couldn’t control. My mother believed it was my fault and constantly believed I did this to myself. I grew up with the feeling of guilt, like I was a complete burden, like life would’ve been better if I were gone. I tried to run away from my home, which was something I never thought I would be capable of doing. I wrote a note explaining how I felt like I wasn’t perfect, listing all my flaws and how I should leave this world. As the moment came closer, I was about to open the door to leave my house, but then a sense of hope stopped me. Maybe I would discover a new passion. Maybe I would find something I could enjoy. I thankfully ended up not running away from home, and I did eventually end up finding someone who motivated me.
My Discovery of Kenny Omega
In August 2017, I watched a Kenny Omega match for the first time. It was a PWG match where he faced Kevin Owens, who was also one of my favorite wrestlers at the time. While watching Kenny wrestle, I noticed something about him that was much different than most pro-wrestlers. Each move that he crafted, he incorporated such great precision and time into it — he cared about every single aspect of pro wrestling. From that point on, I continued to become a fan of him and supported him throughout the rest of his career.
While I continued to be a fan of Kenny, I noticed he was the IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Champion, and Chris Jericho who was from WWE at the time wanted to challenge Kenny for the belt. Jericho had always been someone I knew while watching wrestling for the first time, and to know that Kenny was going to have another opportunity to showcase his ability and prove that he is one of the best made me really ecstatic. From there, I became familiar with Kenny’s work. Whether it was his matches in DDT, AJPW, PCW, or NJPW, I felt connected to Kenny Omega. A match that made me realize this connection was Kenny Omega VS Hirooki Goto from the G1 Climax 26 final. The story that was being told was absolutely beautiful. Kenny went into the match wanting to become the first gaijin to ever win the G1, and Goto was looking for his path to redemption within the G1 because he hadn’t won the tournament since 2008.
One detail of this match that really stood out to me was near the ending when Kenny Omega made a tribute to three different wrestlers: Kota Ibushi, who was his tag team partner in the Golden Lovers, Prince Devitt, who founded the Bullet Club, and AJ Styles, who was the previous leader of the Bullet Club before Kenny. After paying these tributes he went for the One Winged Angel, and right when he won I bursted into tears. I have never, ever in my life felt that emotionally connected to a wrestler. He went against the odds, he risked it all, he did everything that he possibly could, and through hard work he achieved it. In that moment, seeing him hold up the G1 trophy, I wondered that maybe I could still accomplish my goals in life through hard work too.
Wrestle Kingdom 12
January 4th, 2018 — Omega VS Jericho. The match that people around the world had been waiting for. I remember staying up until 6 AM for Omega VS Jericho, and seeing Kenny’s entrance already made me excited. He had such an interesting persona, and he debuted something new, a phrase that said, “change the world.” That phrase was unique to me because Kenny Omega had consistently been doing that, he had been making a name for himself, he had been changing the pro-wrestling world. In fact, his match with Jericho proved that claim even further. It was a complete brawl, the two of them constantly punching each other. They wanted to inflict pain on one another. They wanted to prove which one of them was truly the best in the world. I remember seeing Kenny bleed in the middle of the match, but that only motivated him further. He was so innovative throughout the match, jumping from extreme heights, and even used a table in that match. However, when he ended the match by hitting the One Winged Angel on a chair, my heart stopped — those three seconds went by incredibly slow, but right when the referee hit the mat for the third time, and the bell rang, my heart was absolutely filled with joy.
In that match, a lot of people doubted Kenny. I wasn’t sure if he was going to win either. But there was one thing that he did — he believed in himself. He knew what he was capable of and he persevered throughout the entire match. Watching him hold that U.S. belt and point up to the top of the Tokyo Dome sparked something in me that I hadn’t felt in a long time — happiness. It was moments like these that made me want to keep going. Kenny fought through so much, but he never lost sight of his goals. He never let go of his idea to change the world. Even though he was bleeding, even though it seemed like Jericho was going to get the best of him, Kenny proved the world wrong. In that match, Kenny did something that I couldn’t do, which was overcome the odds and prove to himself that he belongs.
From that point on, I began watching NJPW regularly. From witnessing the end of Kenny’s IWGP U.S. Heavyweight title reign to the reunion of the Golden Lovers, to the Bullet Club Civil War, all the way to the most recent Omega VS Okada match in New Japan Pro Wrestling. As previously mentioned, I became familiar with Kenny’s work, and all three of the Omega VS Okada matches kept me emotionally invested in the rivalry. I specifically remember watching Omega VS Okada from Dominion 2017, and after it was announced that it was a draw, I recall thinking, I really hope Kenny Omega wins the IWGP Heavyweight Championship soon. At the end of the second night of Wrestling Dontaku in 2018, Okada challenged Kenny to their fourth match in NJPW history. Once Okada yelled Kenny’s name to challenge him, I froze. I was so nervous, yet so excited. My favorite wrestler was going to have the biggest match of his career, and I would be able to watch it live.
Dominion 2018
June 9th, 2018 — the day was finally here. Okada vs Omega IV. Two out of three falls, no time limit. I stayed up until 7 am, watching the whole show from top to bottom, extremely nervous for Kenny’s match. Before Kenny’s entrance played, there was this captivating video package between him and Kota Ibushi, where Ibushi asked Kenny, what did it [challenging for the belt] cost? In that year of 2018, the first full-year where I followed Kenny’s career, he had gone through so much, such as the Golden Lovers VS Young Bucks match, losing his friends of the Bullet Club, and experienced a feeling of loneliness to the point where he did not know what was next. Watching all of those moments happen made me realize that I related to those feelings that Kenny had. I felt alone, I felt like no one was there for me — but in turn, I found someone that was integrating my feelings into his work. In that video package, Kenny responded to Ibushi’s question with one word — everything. Kenny had lost some of his best friends, the U.S. title, and a part of himself in order to finally challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. The biggest question, however, is if that was worth it.
When the bell finally rang, I sat still. My eyes felt like they were glued to the TV screen. I didn’t pick up my phone to tweet or text, and I was waiting for the first fall to be complete. Kenny jumped from the top rope to the outside, he did a v-trigger when Okada was running towards him on the other side of the barricade. It was a back and forth brawl, but what shocked me the most was that Okada successfully won the first fall with a roll-up pin. Not even the Rainmaker. That in itself shows that Kenny changed, that he was not falling for the same mistakes he made the other two times he failed to beat Okada. When the bell signaled for the second fall to begin, Kenny looked absolutely furious. Whether it was disappointment within himself, or anger because Okada was able to get the best of him in a way like a roll-up pin, Kenny was no longer holding back. Using moves like a double stomp on the table, his snap-dragon suplex, reverse hurricanrana, and alluding to Okada’s well-known dropkick with a dropkick of his own, Kenny was able to prevail in the second fall by using the One-Winged Angel. In that moment, I jumped out of pure happiness because it was now 1–1. The final fall would settle it all. Some fans wanted to believe that Kenny would finally dethrone Okada, but many others couldn’t. Various points in the match there were times where I thought Okada was going to win. It was like the first time I watched Kenny live on my TV, when he faced Chris Jericho. My heart was beating faster than ever, and I wanted to believe in Kenny more than anything. He changed my world, he changed my perspective of pro-wrestling, and he was now going to change the world of New Japan Pro Wrestling as well. As the third fall progressed, I noticed that Kenny did wrestling moves such as the Styles Clash, just like how he did against Goto in the G1 26 final match. However, there was one spot throughout that match that caught my eye. When Okada went for the Rainmaker, his finishing move, he collapsed. In the Dominion 2017 match, Kenny collapsed while Okada was about to hit the Rainmaker instead. This moment was one of the most beautiful aspects of the entire match itself because it showed how Kenny’s evolved and how he’s stronger, physically and mentally, than how he was in 2017.
The final stretch of the match was unlike no other. I could feel myself wanting to cry of pure happiness, but the match had not ended yet. Kenny went for the final v-trigger, and the entire crowd was on the edge of their seat. It seemed like near the end of the match, everyone believed that Kenny could tell his story the way he wanted it to be told. Once he went for the One-Winged Angel, my eyes filled with tears. The crowd, the commentary, and the referee all chanted one, two, three, and the entire building of Osaka Jo-Hall erupted into excitement.
At that moment, I bursted into tears of happiness. He did it. After ten years of hard work, dedication, passion, and sacrifice, Kenny Omega finally won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. I couldn’t stop crying, and my emotions were absolutely all over the place; but the one feeling that stuck with me was hope — hope that I would be able to fight for my dreams and my goals the way Kenny did and still does to this day. After he won, he was on the microphone and emphasized on how he lives his life the way that he wants, and that stood out to me the most. He doesn’t listen to the majority, he doesn’t follow people for the sake of fitting in. He does what he believes is right in his heart, and I was inspired enough to have that same mindset as well.
Stay Different and Stay Positive
In late June 2018, I wrote a letter to Kenny Omega and opened up about the situation that I had been going through — wanting to run away from home, feeling down about myself, etc. and I tweeted it out not knowing what to expect. I wanted to share my story and share how much of an impact he’s had on me. To my surprise, on July 3rd, 2018, he responded with the words that still motivate me and make me smile, “[s]tay different and stay positive, you’ll see life from a new perspective and truly appreciate the good things around you.” Checking my phone to see that he cared enough to read and reply to what was one of the most difficult things to do in my life made me gain so much more love for him than I already have. Three years later, those words still mean the world to me and keep me going.
Fast forward to the creation of All Elite Wrestling, AEW. Since this company began, I remember seeing Kenny have major singles losses — Chris Jericho, PAC, Jon Moxley — and many people thought that he had lost his touch, that he was only good in Japan, but I never believed that. Every match that I’ve watched of Kenny Omega, whether it was against the nine year-old girl or the 60+ minute classics with Okada, I always have this feeling of happiness within me that distracts me from all of my worries and fears that I had about myself. Watching Kenny tell these interesting, captivating stories through an artform like professional wrestling made me realize the beauty of it. Watching him wrestle in the ring felt like I was fighting against all of my issues and all of my doubts.
Gaming, Anime, and Joshi Puroresu
Even through it all, Kenny sparked and reignited passions that I had for many things. For example, his love for video games and anime made me want to get back into those things and I couldn’t be more grateful. However, after Double or Nothing 2019, Kenny talked about something called joshi puroresu — japanese women’s wrestling. I had watched Stardom a couple of times back in 2017, but hearing that the joshi saved Kenny’s interest in wrestling made me want to get into more joshi companies and figure out the raw emotion that makes joshi puroresu into what it is today. Because joshi puroresu was what helped Kenny realize his passion, and since Kenny made me realize my passion, joshi puroresu was essentially what inspired the person who inspired me. From there, I started to watch and discover wrestlers from Stardom, TJPW, Ice Ribbon, Seadlinnng, Marvelous, Sendai Girls, OZ Academy, Diana, and ChocoPro.
Current Impact on Me Today
To this very day, Kenny Omega remains to be my favorite professional wrestler. From winning the AEW World Tag Team Championships with Hangman Page, to winning the AEW World Title, to wrestling in an exploding barbed wire deathmatch, to winning the Impact World Championship, and even interacting with the Cosmic Angels on Twitter, Kenny continues to make me smile. As previously mentioned, watching Kenny wrestle in the ring helped me fight against everything that I had been going through. His work is absolutely remarkable, and I cannot wait to see all the wonderful things he can accomplish throughout the remainder of his career. For me, personally, Kenny made me realize that there is more to life than just pain; that I should continue to be myself and not let anyone get in the way of my dreams. That is the true beauty of what professional wrestling can do — showcase wrestlers who can have such a wonderful impact on a fan. Instead of focusing on the negative aspects of my life, I always try my best to keep a positive mindset because that is what my hero told me, and I will forever be thankful.
