Kenny Omega On Being Wrestling’s Biggest Free Agent
Kenny Omega spoke with the Warmup on TSN for a new interview discussing his upcoming documentary and more. Highlights are below per WrestleZone’s Tyler Treese:
On how the documentary came together: “The idea originated on Twitter. Someone had asked me if I was interested in having a documentary on me, and I’m a very private [person]. It’s hard to let people into that personal space bubble, so I was open for discussion. Knowing that my schedule doesn’t have much free time, having a documentary crew follow me around and essentially take that away, I wasn’t sure if I could enjoy it or even act like myself. I always feel like I’m performing for people, so I didn’t want it to be like I was performing for a documentary. I wanted it to be an actual representation of who I am. It was difficult for me to accept this opportunity, so I stewed on the idea, and it wasn’t until I received several emails from the people involved, who spoke to several more detailed parts of my career that I realized that they really did have my best interest in mind and that they wanted to tell the best possible story of Kenny Omega. So, I thought, “Hey if they care this much and want to make it something cool for everyone involved then maybe I should give this a shot.” It took numerous months and I’m not even sure if they had a direction at first, but I’m hoping people find it interesting and are entertained by it.”
On his time in WWE developmental: “I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I really appreciated the opportunity. I learned a lot, but I felt like I had went into it being a nobody without them knowing my limitations and my potential. So, I wanted to prove to them that I could be more to them, and to the business, than what they thought of me originally. So, I decided to leave WWE and started my 10-year journey through Japan.”
On how difficult it was to leave WWE: “Luckily, when I made the decision to leave WWE, I was very young and foolish. Money didn’t mean anything to me. I also had parents that were very supportive of my career and allowed me to live at home for free. I wasn’t forced to make any rash decisions. I could focus on achieving my dreams.”
On the documentary: “Anyone that is familiar with the WWE style, there’s a certain image to their programming. There’s a feeling and a way that their television flows. What you’ll see is a different perspective on what pro wrestling can be and how you can tell the stories differently. Even with how the athletes can clash. The matches in New Japan are more athletic and you can’t succeed without being a good athlete there. There’s still showmanship, shows of charisma and mic performances, but less so in Japan. It’s an interesting view as to how we tell our stories in Japan and how I tell mine. You always have to keep in mind that there’s a language barrier and there are gonna be people of all walks of life that will want to understand what we’re doing. Sometimes you have to do that through your actions only, not through your words.”
On importance of his roots: “I think it’s important to never forget the people that helped you along the way. There are self-made individuals and I wish I could say I was one of them, but in professional wrestling you can’t show up one day and be a ring veteran. It takes years to familiarize yourself with how to work in front of a crowd and the four sides of the ring. You have to understand the type of footing and balance it takes to move in [there]. The promotion I always appear for when I can is Premier Championship Wrestling. They had always stuck around and [I’ve encouraged the promoter] to keep doing the shows…I can’t just leave that behind if he’s still running shows. I’m never going to be too big for that.”
On being the biggest free agent in wrestling right now: “Everyone is wondering what my next move will be, but I need this time to step away and complete these other projects that are important to me. Plus, I’m a video game guy. There’s a lot of great releases [to catch up on]. I’m enjoying the free time. It’s been a while since I’ve had this free time. There will be developments and announcements soon, I’m sure.”
