Farewell Kenny Omega and Kushida (in NJPW)

Hi guys,

Well, what a crazy ass start to the year it's been. We've had Wrestle Kingdom, the creation of All Elite Wrestling and rumour mill central... it seemed pretty obvious that most of the Elite were leaving NJPW because of AEW, but there was always one question mark: Kenny Omega. There were also rumours of the Ace of the NJPW Jr Heavyweight division, Kushida, leaving. Unfortunately for me and NJPW fans, the two big rumours about Kenny and Kushida turned out to be right and, at the Press Conference on the 7th January, it was announced that both Kenny Omega and Kushida would be leaving NJPW, as well as Takashi Iizka having his retirement. 

I definitely think that Iizka has had an amazing career and cemented himself as a true Suzuki Gun player, so I don't think it's as sad because, to retire, he must know he's had the career he's wanted. However, Kushida and Kenny have a long career ahead of them and it feels like their time has only just started. So, why am I writing this post? I guess it's my way of saying farewell to them, in terms of being a member of NJPW, seeing what mark they made on NJPW as a company and what the future holds for them. 

Kenny Omega

I mean what can I say about Kenny Omega that hasn't already been said? Like I said, it was obvious that most of the Elite were leaving NJPW, but this one is probably the hardest to take... Kenny is called the Best Bout Machine for a reason and it's impossible not to attribute some of NJPW's global expansion to Kenny and the Bullet Club. As told though the Tana v Kenny storyline, Omega brought something new to the company - he brought a blend of Japanese style with his charismatic, energetic, high energy style that's more common in America. I always knew that if I was watching a Kenny Omega match, I would be hooked from the start with strikes, knees and high flying which is a hybrid you don't really see from top guys. He's broken down barriers, made our hearts break and then glued them back together in his relationship with Ibushi and changed the world one show at a time. We've had some classics from his bouts with Okada, Kota Ibushi and Jay White. Kenny leaving is going to leave a massive hole in NJPW obviously, but especially in  the Heavyweight division, yet it's going to give gaijin's like Jay White the opportunity to step up as well as some of the Japanese wrestlers to get back to the top of the division, wrestlers like Makabe, Suzuki and Goto. It'll be a chance to maybe try and get back to the roots of NJPW and we'll see how the company and the fans cope with the product not having any Kenny Omega in it!

Kushida

If Kenny leaving NJPW is leaving a hole in the Heavyweight division, then having the Ace of the Jrs (and 6 time Jr Heavyweight champ) Kushida leaving NJPW is going to leave a massive hold in the Jr Division. From the minute I started watching NJPW, Kushida massively stood out to me but not just because of his dominance in the Jr division. It was the way he was in the ring, he perfectly combined this high risk offence but with a particular emphasis on submissions and pure wrestling. It was his whole Time Splitter persona (I mean did you see that WK13 entrance) and the way it was incorporated into everything he did without being overpowering. He's had some of my favourite matches with the likes of Hiromu Takahashi and especially Will Ospreay! As much of a hole that Kushida leaving is going to have, it's also opening up the way for the Jrs to really make their mark (especially with Ospreay seemingly moving up to the heavyweight division soon). Although some say its going to struggle, I think that the Jr division is one of the strongest in the world and it's definitely going to give more opportunities to the division with the likes of Ishimori, Hiromu (after he comes back #MissYou), Taguchi, Jushin Thunder Liger and Tiger Mark. There's also the Jr tag teams where you've got guys like Sho, Yoh, Shingo, Bushi, Desperado and Kanemaru who could all go for the belt. There's also the possibility for new talent to come in, like those from this years BOSJ. So, even though we'll miss Kushida, the Jr heavyweight division will continue to thrive and it's impossible to say that this prestige and status of the division isn't due to what Kushida's done over the years and his commitment.

It's common sense that both Kenny and Kushida have sparkling future's ahead of them and, wherever they go whether it be WWE, AEW or in Kushida's case training the new generation, they're always going to have left their mark on NJPW and who knows and it probably won't be goodbye forever. It's the two guys knowing that there's more to the world than just one company and so many promotions deserve to be blessed by two of my favourite wrestlers in the world. Also, as I said before, there's a chance for new blood to rise to the top of the NJPW card in both divisions. It already seems like Jay is being set for a massive push into Kenny's position but who's going to take Kushida's place? Is it Taiji Ishimori? Are we waiting for Hiromu's return? Is it time to bring in some new Jrs? Only time will tell and, even though I'm excited for the change, it's never going to not be sad...

I know I'm probably not the only person who's sad they've gone! Like always, let me know in the comments or on social media (@Wrestling_Chat on Twitter and Wrestling Chatter on FB) all your thoughts! Next time, I'm probably going to be having a look at All Elite Wrestling and the impact it's going to have on the wrestling work (both good and bad)!

Until next time,

Bye!