NJPW News: Cody Rhodes gives his thoughts on the Kazuchika Okada vs Kenny Omega historic matches, and his upcoming title match against the latter
What's the story?
During a recent media conference call, Ring of Honor superstar Cody Rhodes weighed in his thoughts on Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada's historic four-match series, and also discussed his upcoming rematch against Kenny Omega at the G1 Specials.
In case you didn't know...
Kenny Omega and Cody Rhodes’ on going rivalry initially began at last year’s Dominion 6.11 pay-per-view, when the latter tried to throw in the towel on behalf of Omega during his IWGP Heavyweight Championship match against then champion Kazuchika Okada.
Omega and Cody’s rivalry has certainly gone on to a whole new level over the course of this past year and the two men eventually faced-off against each other at this year’s ROH: Supercard of Honor, with ‘The American Nightmare’ coming out on top as the winner of the match, following interference from The Young Bucks.
Omega however eventually bounced back from his defeat against Cody in spectacular fashion when he won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship off Okada earlier this year at the Dominion 6.9 event, and thus marked the beginning of The Best Bout Machine’s first reign as IWGP Heavyweight Champion.
The heart of the matter
According to Cody, he feels that having an outstanding match against Kenny Omega is apparently the most important thing to 'The American Nightmare' in his pro wrestling odyssey right now. And NJPW is also seemingly the perfect place for Cody to learn several things, as he is nowhere near his ceiling right now. (H/T: Wrestling Inc)
"I'd say it's probably the most important thing for me internally and that's when I'm talking about inside, that feeling in your stomach, that fire in your belly. As a competitor, I'm aware of my presence in terms of what I can do on the microphone, my presentation, the smoke and mirrors, no pun intended, that comes with me.
But I love professional wrestling. I love it. Matt and Nick Jackson have an expression, and I can't be on a show if I'm not out there in the ring, what we call, bumping and learning. And at 32 headed towards my 33rd birthday this month, there are things that I've got to improve at. There are things I have to get better at.
And the best place for me to do that is a place like New Japan Pro Wrestling. We talked about the roster being so flush, but there's nobody better than Kenny Omega, and again, a guy like Okada. The roster's so good, but to me, I'm incredibly gifted in the ring, but you have to show it.
It has to be there and these are the opportunities to do so. I think people really, really, really enjoyed my first outing with Kenny Omega at Supercard Of Honor [12] and I think we want to build upon that. I want to build upon that." Cody added, "anyone who [has] got me pegged as, 'oh, he reached his ceiling as a wrestler,' they're out of their mind because I'm not even close."
In addition, Cody was also asked about his thoughts on Omega and Okada’s historic singles matches, with the two recently facing-off for the fourth time at NJPW: Dominion 6.9.
As per ‘The American Nightmare’, he feels that only time will eventually tell how actually feels about all four Okada vs Omega matches.
"The thing I enjoy the most about [the Omega/Okada] matches is obviously they have deep connection between the two of them, a chemistry that exists between the two of them, but the thing like is that the matches are all very different.
That's special when you can do that and I think from my standpoint, I think those matches are the best at what those guys are able to do. But every wrestler's able to do something different." Cody said, "that's how wrestling is.
Everybody provides a different element and they've absolutely showcased the best at what they can do, especially in the bell-to-bell sense. I don't look at it like, 'oh, I have to have a match with [Omega] like that.' No, it's a different set of circumstances every time you're out there.
And I think as we go five, 10 years from now, we'll see how special that series of matches are and how important those matches are."
What’s next?
Kenny Omega and Cody Rhodes will compete in an IWGP Heavyweight Championship match later this month at the Cow Palace in San Francisco as part of the G1 Specials in the US.
What are your thought's on the Kazuchika Okada vs Kenny Omega historic encounters? Have your say in the comments.