Kenny Omega challenges ‘replacement’ Will Ospreay at Wrestle Kingdom 17

Kenny says he wasn’t interested at first but wants to do it for the fans and the good of pro wrestling.

Kenny Omega just made his AEW return at Full Gear on Saturday night, but he made it clear Sunday morning that he already has his mind set on a return to Japan as well.

In a video posted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s official Twitter account after it played during the company’s Historic X-Over event with Stardom, Omega announced a challenge for Will Ospreay and the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 17.

Omega suggested that once AEW was created, NJPW felt the need to replace him with Ospreay.

“And how did that turn out, hm?” Omega said. “The crowds have gotten smaller. We can’t hear them cheering.”

He went on to call Omega and United Empire “second rate Kenny Omega knockoffs,” and that while he initially wasn’t interested, he felt the need to accept the invitation from NJPW for the fans and the good of pro wrestling.

You can watch his entire announcement below.

Omega and Ospreay have gone back and forth quite a bit over social media this year, and did face off in the ring once when Ospreay and Aussie Open lost to Omega and the Young Bucks on the Aug. 31 episode of AEW Dynamite. They’ve tangled a fair number of times as part of tag team matches during Omega’s time in the Bullet Club in NJPW too, particularly between fall 2016 and the end of 2018.

But perhaps surprisingly (and because Ospreay was a junior heavyweight at the time), they never had a singles match in NJPW. Their lone solo meeting came in PWG in December 2015, when Omega pinned Ospreay.

Ospreay is now no stranger to AEW audiences, having appeared on TV multiple times around Forbidden Door this summer, where he successfully defended his IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship against Orange Cassidy. He kept his title at Historic X-Over with a victory over Shota Umino.

AEW boss Tony Khan was asked during the press conference after Full Gear Saturday night whether the company would send talent to Wrestle Kingdom. He replied that his discussions with NJPW had been productive, but noted that the event was the same day as AEW’s debut in Seattle, so most of his big stars would be needed there.

Omega’s challenge shows that he really meant “most” and not “all.” Wrestle Kingdom 17 will take place in its annual home, the Tokyo Dome, on Jan. 4, 2023.