Kenny Omega Staying In New Japan
"The Cleaner" to ink new deal with NJPW.
It's all but official: the greatest wrestler in the world will be staying in the greatest wrestling promotion in the world.
Kenny Omega appeared on a special edition of Wrestling Observer Radio on Thursday to address his future, and he revealed that while the deal is not yet done, he's planning on staying in New Japan. He'll be flying back to Japan in mid-February to work out a deal with the company, and he's hoping to sign for at least another year. Omega explicitly stated that he would not be at the Royal Rumble.
This puts an effective end to a story that's dominated wrestling throughout the new year. At Wrestle Kingdom 11, Omega challenged IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada in what many fans are calling the greatest bout in the sport's history. Omega lost, and the next day, he tweeted that he was taking a break from wrestling in Japan.
That started a flood of speculation that Omega was following in the footsteps of AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura by defecting to WWE. Omega - whose New Japan contract expires on January 31 - wisely stayed mum on the matter, letting the rumors make him a subject of persistent speculation.
As New Japan is beginning an expansion into the English-speaking world later this year, Omega is expected to be an even greater asset to the company than he's already been.