Kenny Omega Removed From NJPW Tour Following Knee Injury

The Bullet Club leader will still defend his IWGP US Title on 24 September.

by Andy H Murray
Kenny Omega
NJPW1972.com

Bad news for Bullet Club fans: Kenny Omega has suffered an injury to his left knee's lateral meniscus, and has been pulled from most of NJPW's forthcoming 'Road to Destruction' tour, the company have announced.

The tour starts tomorrow (7 September), with Omega originally booked to appear on multiple shows throughout the month. He'll now miss every date up until the 22nd, but his IWGP United States Title defence against Juice Robinson at Destruction in Kobe on the 24th will still go ahead.

'The Cleaner' hasn't defended his championship since winning it in July, but he and Robinson are currently set to main event the show, which will be the final night of the tour.

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Kenny had been booked for multiple events prior to Kobe, and the debuting Leo Tonga will now take his place in these matches. A brother of current NJPW roster members Tanga Roa and Tama Tonga, and son of the legendary Haku, he has been training at the New Japan Dojo since the start of the year. He will be the tallest member of NJPW's roster at 6'8".

Leo's first match takes place on 7 September, when he and his brothers face War Machine and Robinson.

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Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.