The highly-anticipated showdown between Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay has finished with ‘The Cleaner’ coming out on top.
The January 4 victory marks the start of Omega’s second reign as IWGP US Champion. His inaugural run with the title in 2017 and 2018 drew widespread acclaim. Omega played up his heel-side against the brash Ospreay in this near 35-minute war.
Both men worked a stiff, hard pace between the ropes, dismantling each other with hard shots and explosive moves. Ultimately, a defiant Ospreay spat in ‘The Cleaner’s face before eating a One Winged Angel to lose his belt.
After several months of re-establishing the US Title’s prestige after a chaotic first half of 2022, Will Ospreay’s defeat here may come as a surprise to some. Omega is of course no longer with the promotion, making the future of the US Title in NJPW more unpredictable than ever.
Today Marks Four Years Since Kenny Omega Last Wrestled In NJPW
Before today’s US Championship war, ‘The Cleaner’ had not competed in NJPW for four years. He was last seen at Wrestle Kingdom 13, where he defended the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against 2018 G1 Climax winner Hiroshi Tanahashi.
Tanahashi ultimately got the better of Omega in a classic main event bout.
Since then, Kenny Omega has of course been focusing most of his time on AEW, where he enjoyed a lengthy run with the World Championship in late 2020 and most of 2021. After spending much of 2022 on the shelf due to injuries, ‘The Cleaner’ returned with a bang to team with old pals The Young Bucks.
If today’s showdown with Will Ospreay at Wrestle Kingdom 17 is anything to go by, Omega still has a lot left in the tank at the singles level.
