10 Things You Need To Know About Kenny Omega
10. He Started In Wrestling At The Age Of 15
With Tyler Bate winning the WWE UK Championship aged just 19, handing out fliers at 15 doesn't really seem like such a big deal anymore, but times have changed. Kenny Omega has spoken of being a big wrestling and hockey fan growing up, deciding on the former when his family were hoping he would choose the latter. Omega's hopes were to either be a wrestler or a hockey goalie, and despite having a hockey scholarship he decided to take the plunge and try his luck in the Canadian independent scene.
A big fan of The Ultimate Warrior and The Rockers, Omega began by handing out fliers for his local promotion in Winnipeg, River City Wrestling (RCW). RCW flitted with bankruptcy on a number of occasions, eventually going out of business in 2011, and counts Buddy Wiser, Dick Walker, and Nacho Slurpee among its alumni.
Omega was unable to begin training properly until he was 16 years old, although 'training' might not be the correct word here. Omega recalls that he taught himself to bump in the ring whilst his trainer sat outside eating spaghetti, but the majority of his learning came from studying tape after tape after tape. It was an unassuming beginning for a boy who would go on to become one of the best wrestlers on the planet.