On the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Kenny Omega announced that he is staying in New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) & will not be debuting with WWE at this Sunday’s Royal Rumble event.
Rumors were swirling that Omega, the headliner of NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom 11, would be making the leap to WWE the same way that AJ Styles & Shinsuke Nakamura did around this time last year. Omega was defeated by Kazuchika Okada with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship on the line.
Omega wanted to kill the rumors of a WWE debut now so fans aren’t disappointed when he doesn’t show up. He’s been teasing the possibility over the past few weeks and still doesn’t entirely rule out a future in WWE. “The Cleaner” of the Bullet Club also mentioned that people thought he was working everyone with whether or not he would be coming to WWE, so he wanted to crush that idea now.
Currently, Omega doesn’t have a contract with NJPW, but will be heading back to Japan next month to figure out his new deal. While things can still fall through, Omega is confident that he will be able to work out a 1-year deal with the company. He stated that he still has goals that he would like to accomplish in NJPW.
In related news, NJPW has openly discussed expanding their brand in the USA & if that is the case, Kenny Omega would likely be their top star. This could indicate motivation from both parties to get a deal worked out.