"Mr. Perfect was my first heavy inspiration" - Kenny Omega on developing his wrestling style
Kenny Omega has been a fan of professional wrestling all of his life. Throughout the years, watching generations of talent has developed Omega into the performer we all see today in AEW. From WWE to ECW, to All Japan... Omega has studied them all.
Kenny Omega recently sat down with Jacob of Pro Wrestling Junkies to discuss a variety of topics. When asked about his inspirations throughout his life, Kenny Omega had no shortage of wrestlers and eras and drew from.
"I would say that when I was growing up you know of course the big one was WWE just what they were doing what they had done so I was into, you know the the 90s style, you know, going into the Attitude Era I was really into that stuff, of course, and then when I became more of like a teenager. We had my friend via satellite was able to tune into a ECW so I was like what 'What is this?'. And, you know, I was able to kind of first see Rob Van Dam and I remember being a huge fan of Taka Michinoku when I'd seen him at Canadian Stampede, and what they did with a light heavyweight division. And I saw that Taka was there wit Super Crazy and Nunzio and all those guys, Tajiri. And so I did whatever I could to watch a lot of ECW stuff."
AEW World Champion Kenny Omega says there isn't one right style of wrestling
When it came to specific wrestlers who Kenny Omega has taken inspiration from over the years, former WWE Intercontinental Champion Mr. Perfect was named Kenny Omega's first heavy inspiration.
"Mr. Perfect I would say was probably the first heavy inspiration for me as a wrestler. After that, It was probably Rob Van Dam, and then I got into like the Shinjiro Otani's Taka Michinoku's. You know that I would watch Kenta Kobashi Masala, you know like all of the All Japan greats and early 2000s was into a lot of Dragon Gate I was watching a lot of Marufuji and Kenta. Yeah, it was all over the place but I tried to always diversify my tastes because I never knew, I knew that there wasn't going to be one right style of wrestling, I knew the best style of wrestling was always going to be this amalgamation of a bunch of styles. So I tried to always keep an open mind and even if I didn't like a certain style, at its base. for example like I don't think I could ever be strictly a lucha libre wrestler. But I know that what they do is such a joy to watch and such an incredible art form that I knew if I could incorporate some of what they do into what I do. That it would make me a better athlete."
Are you surprised by Kenny Omega's influences on his career? Or are they exactly who you would expect? Let us know by sounding off in the comments section below.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Pro Wrestling Junkies with an h/t to Sportskeeda for the transcription.