WWE veteran says AEW star Kenny Omega is "lucky" to be walking after scary botch
Dutch Mantell believes Kenny Omega is fortunate to survive the nasty Tiger Driver '91 at the hands of Will Ospreay at Forbidden Door.
Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay tore the house down with their incredible bout at the recently concluded Forbidden Door II Pay-Per-View. Hailed as one of the most intense matches ever, fans were on the edge of their seats from the get-go. However, one particular spot left the audience wide-eyed and concerned at the same time.
Moments before securing the pinfall, Ospreay disguised his signature "Stormbreaker" until driving The Cleaner head-first on the mat with the unexpected "Tiger Driver '91". Given the risk quotient, many fans have called for a permanent ban on the maneuver.
Dissecting the infamous spot on his Story Time podcast, Dutch Mantell opined that the AEW stalwart was lucky to be walking.
"He [Ospreay] dropped him is what he did, I think. This is what happens when a wrestler gets tired, and Will Ospreay shouldn't get tired because he's in great shape and he's went 30 minutes, 40 minutes a lot of times I don't think he got him up to put him down in this Tiger Driver, but I think he lost him somehow, and Kenny Omega is lucky that he's walking today. Sometimes you see guys get hurt. I would've gotten hurt a little bit, but he didn't. What's that old saying, 'God protects the idiot and little children'? I don't know if that fits him, but he's very lucky," said Mantell. [From 01:16 to 02:08]
The former WWE manager further weighed in on Will Ospreay's execution of the lethal maneuver.
"It wasn't negligence on his apart. I think he got tired and he had to muscle him [Omega] up and he ran out of steam," he added. [From 2:11 to 02:22]
Tiger Driver 91 from Will Ospreay! Shades of Misawa & Kawada. https://t.co/IZJEewupVP
Kenny Omega says his rivalry with Will Ospreay is not over
The Best Bout Machine and The Aerial Assassin have been turning heads ever since they collided in an all-time classic at Wrestle Kingdom 2017. While Omega emerged on top back then, Ospreay settled the score by defeating him for The IWGP United States Championship last month.
In a video montage after the cross-promotional event, Kenny Omega had the following message for his arch-rival:
"It's not over. I'll be back."
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@KennyOmegamanX vs @WheelerYuta
After an all-time classic match at #ForbiddenDoor, Kenny Omega returns to the ring to fight the man who pinned him in Anarchy in the Arena, BCC's Wheeler Yuta! https://t.co/eUR7S8HBvj
Much to everyone's surprise, the former Bullet Club leader returns to action next week on Dynamite against Wheeler Yuta. Fans are waiting with bated breath to see the former AEW World Champion in action after his brutal last outing.
Please credit Story Time with Dutch Mantell and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling if you use quotes from this article.