What’s the story?
Kenny Omega made his long-awaited return to competition for New Japan Pro Wrestling this evening in the main event of the first night of the annual Ring of Honor/New Japan co-produced Honor Rising show.
Omega teamed with Adam Cole to take on former IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, The Briscoe Brothers. The Bullet Club duo came out on top after Cole hit Mark Briscoe with the Last Shot.
The was Omega’s first match in New Japan since New Year’s Dash on January 5th, the night after his iconic Wrestle Kingdom 11 match against Kazuchika Okada.
In case you didn’t know
Kenny Omega was the talk of the wrestling world all through January. Hot on the heels of the performance of a lifetime against Okada in the Wrestle Kingdom main event many believed that it was only a matter of time before Omega turned up in WWE, with many speculating that he could show up in the 2017 Royal Rumble. Two days before that show, Omega cleared the air regarding his future, announcing that he was staying with New Japan for the time being.
The heart of the matter
Omega’s return to the ring is big news in itself but the main takeaway from this match will be the tension displayed between Omega and Cole during the post-match promo. As Omega began to regale the crowd with his plans for 2017, the current ROH World Champion snatched the microphone away from The Cleaner, before going to on to state that 2017 was going to be the Adam Cole year.
Omega was left short for words after Cole’s interruption, closing out the promo by telling Cole that the Japanese fans did not understand him. Cole was incensed, and it seems as though all is not well in the Bullet Club camp.
What’s next?
On night two of Honor Rising, Adam Cole with defend the ROH World Championship against YOSHI-HASHI, whilst Omega will compete in an eight-man tag team match in the main event alongside The Young Bucks and Bad Luck Fale to take on the CHAOS team of Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay and The Briscoes.
If Cole is successful he has a daunting list of challenges waiting in the wings in the shape of Bobby Fish, Christopher Daniels and Dalton Castle.
After Honor Rising is done Kenny Omega’s focus will turn to the 2017 New Japan Cup, which takes place between March 11 and 20.
Sportskeeda’s take
As great as it was seeing Kenny Omega back in an NJPW ring, the post-match tension between The Cleaner and Adam Cole has reminded us just how great Omega will eventually be as a major babyface in New Japan Pro Wrestling. This could lead to The Elite seceding from Bullet Club as The Young Bucks were seriously cheered in their match against War Machine earlier in the night.
If this were to happen it could well be the end of the line for Bullet Club. The road to Omega vs. Cole has begun and we simply can’t wait to see what twists and turns lie in wait along the journey.
