Kenny Omega drew comparisons to a WWE Hall of Famer at a young age, according to wrestling veteran
Former AEW World Champion Kenny Omega has become one of the best wrestlers of his generation, and in the eyes of some, the best of all time. But which WWE Hall of Famer did a wrestling veteran see in a 14-year-old Omega?
If there is one person in wrestling who knows Kenny Omega better than most, it's Don Callis. While the two have been at odds in AEW as of late, it was Callis who saw a lot of potential in Kenny when he first broke into the business on the Canadian independent scene.
During his recent interview with Chris Jericho on the Talk is Jericho podcast, Callis revealed that he was the one who turned Omega on to wrestling at a young age after he was originally geared towards being a hockey player.
“It was actually me that pulled him out of hockey, because his dad’s a hockey fan. And I said ‘No. We need to pull him out of hockey and let him focus on wrestling.' So I had a hand in… I don’t like to get my hands dirty with things like training and wrestling holds, but I think I guided Kenny with the sort of advice that you can only get from someone on our level.” (H/T WrestleTalk)
I was introduced to the Great Muta in the late 80s due to his WCW run. He was the first guy I saw who had different personas at the same time - sometimes Muta, sometimes Keiji Mutoh. And his explosiveness was off the charts, much like Kenny Omega today. A great one. #WWEHOF
When Don saw Kenny in the ring for the first time, his explosive nature reminded Callis of WWE Hall of Famer Keiji Mutoh, also known as The Great Muta, when the Japanese legend was at his peak.
“He got in the ring, and… he wasn’t trained, but he had been watching so much wrestling. He started rolling around and running the ropes, and what I noticed… the first words out of my mouth, I said ‘Jesus. He’s like Mutoh…’ What I meant by that was, remember Mutoh in WCW, that explosion? Zero to 60, like ‘Boom!’ The suddenness. Kenny had that at, like, 14.” (H/T WrestleTalk)
Kenny Omega broke his silence after losing at AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door
Fans are still buzzing over the spectacle that was Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay's match at Forbidden Door for the IWGP United States Championship, which ended in Ospreay getting his hand raised.
Following the match, Omega took to Twitter to break his silence after losing the belt that he took from Ospreay back at Wrestle Kingdom 17 in January. Here is what he had to say:
I lost and Will was the better man tonight. The US belt is in good hands. Keep Don away from it. #AEWxNJPW #forbiddendoor
"I lost and Will was the better man tonight. The US belt is in good hands. Keep Don away from it. #AEWxNJPW #forbiddendoor," tweeted Omega.
With Omega winning at Wrestle Kingdom 17 and Ospreay winning at Forbidden Door, a third match could very well be on the cards for a show like All In or Wrestle Kingdom 18. But for now, The Cleaner will have to regroup and recharge as a big summer for AEW lies in wait.
Do you think Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay will have a third match? Let us know in the comments section down below!