What's the story?
Since winning the newly established IWGP United States Championship, speculation has run wild regarding who Kenny Omega might face in his first defence of the title. Dave Meltzer may have offered a little bit of clarity to the situation in his recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, where he suggested that the Cleaner could face Will Ospreay in Ring of Honor.
In case you didn't know....
The IWGP United States Championship was introduced on May 12, 2017, during the third night of the IWGP/ROH War of the Worlds tour. On July 2nd, Kenny Omega defeated Tomohiro Ishii in the Championship round of the inaugural IWGP U.S. Tournament, becoming the very first winner of the IWGP United States Championship.
The heart of the matter
During his recent edition of The Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer suggested that Kenny Omega might be the best wrestler in the world. He then went on to discuss the possible opponents for Omega’s first IWGP United States Title defence, as well as where it could be defended.
Meltzer stated that it was very likely that the title would be defended in the States, probably in an ROH ring. The Editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter also said that Omega probably had a short list of foes he’d like to face in what would be a high-profile match, with Will Ospreay at the top, who himself has made quite the noise over Randy Orton’s recent dive comment.
Also read: 5 best Kenny Omega matches you must watch
What's next?
Ring of Honor has a slew of events ahead on their schedule, any of which would likely welcome a Kenny Omega main event. It’s also worth noting that NJPW has been discussing the possibility of moving some of its operations to the United States, which would include a training facility in Los Angeles.
The company is looking at having a show in New Orleans during Wrestlemania weekend as well. It appears NJPW is starting to take advantage of their growing popularity among the American fans.
Author’s take
I consider Kenny Omega to be the best in the world today, and until someone performs at his level on a consistent basis, my opinion will not change.NJPW officials are on the verge of popping a major economic pipeline with the American fanbase. NJPW has been gaining popularity rapidly, for quite some time now, and there are no signs of slowing down.
Creating the IWGP U.S. Title will prove to be one of their best business decisions of all-time. This not only gives their talent another prize to aim for, but it also makes the company look more attractive in the eyes of up and coming top wrestling prospects from around the world.
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