What Okada and Ibushi Represent for Omega Right Now
Nov 15, 2021 7:10:41 GMT -5
Cyno, EvenBaldobombHasAJob, and 8 more like this
Post by HMARK Center on Nov 15, 2021 7:10:41 GMT -5
So it's no secret that Kenny Omega's greatest rival and the all-around final boss of pro wrestling, Kazuchika Okada, is in the United States for a little while. With fellow CHAOS stablemate Tomohiro Ishii making his Dynamite debut this week, people can't help but wonder if Okada will show up on TNT, as well, and if he does you have to figure it'll be to confront Kenny, as the last time they met ended with Omega triumphing in a two out of three falls match that lasted over an hour and made Omega the IWGP heavyweight champion. This resulted in Okada kind of losing his mind for a little while, but he's now fully bounced back from all of that; he stands now as the current G1 tournament winner and the man who will challenge Shingo Takagi on NJPW's biggest stage on January 4.
Yet there's also this lingering curiosity about Kota Ibushi, Kenny's greatest friend and Golden Lover partner. For years, Kota's been the one person who seems to have the ability to get Kenny to turn away from his darker or more selfish impulses; he's also the only person to ever kick out of the One Winged Angel. Kota chose to stay behind in Japan when Kenny and the others left to form AEW, and he's since become IWGP champion, himself, but of course there's no avoiding the connection between the two, to the point that even audiences over here seem to react loudly whenever Kota is even indirectly mentioned, ala when Hangman mentioned Kenny's "old partner" last Wednesday during their contract signing.
I mean, hell, just look at the sign the guy who wrote Borderlands 2 made for Full Gear, and it basically captures it all:
Basically, all of this is just saying that Omega, fresh off losing his title, is now at a crossroads, and depending on which one of Okada or Ibushi shows up at some point, it could have a very different impact on what direction he's heading.
If it's Ibushi showing up eventually, then Kenny likely gets his chance at redemption. This has happened before; Kenny has been offered forgiveness by Ibushi in the past for previous transgressions, sometimes acting like he doesn't deserve it, but he's typically come around and let Kota's love for him be what brings him back from the brink.
If it's Okada, then it's basically the Sword of Damocles falling on Kenny; the thought of Okada looms over Kenny like the Grim Reaper, and Kazu may like nothing more than for Kenny to continue down his current road, since it would make taking him down and getting his win back at the same time all the sweeter.
Basically...all of this was an excuse for me to compare Ibushi and Okada's roles here to that episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold where Phantom Stranger and the Spectre wager over Bruce Wayne's soul.
Yet there's also this lingering curiosity about Kota Ibushi, Kenny's greatest friend and Golden Lover partner. For years, Kota's been the one person who seems to have the ability to get Kenny to turn away from his darker or more selfish impulses; he's also the only person to ever kick out of the One Winged Angel. Kota chose to stay behind in Japan when Kenny and the others left to form AEW, and he's since become IWGP champion, himself, but of course there's no avoiding the connection between the two, to the point that even audiences over here seem to react loudly whenever Kota is even indirectly mentioned, ala when Hangman mentioned Kenny's "old partner" last Wednesday during their contract signing.
I mean, hell, just look at the sign the guy who wrote Borderlands 2 made for Full Gear, and it basically captures it all:
Basically, all of this is just saying that Omega, fresh off losing his title, is now at a crossroads, and depending on which one of Okada or Ibushi shows up at some point, it could have a very different impact on what direction he's heading.
If it's Ibushi showing up eventually, then Kenny likely gets his chance at redemption. This has happened before; Kenny has been offered forgiveness by Ibushi in the past for previous transgressions, sometimes acting like he doesn't deserve it, but he's typically come around and let Kota's love for him be what brings him back from the brink.
If it's Okada, then it's basically the Sword of Damocles falling on Kenny; the thought of Okada looms over Kenny like the Grim Reaper, and Kazu may like nothing more than for Kenny to continue down his current road, since it would make taking him down and getting his win back at the same time all the sweeter.
Basically...all of this was an excuse for me to compare Ibushi and Okada's roles here to that episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold where Phantom Stranger and the Spectre wager over Bruce Wayne's soul.
