Kenny Omega addresses criticism of AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door Tiger Driver spot

At AEW and NJPW’s Forbidden Door pay-per-view, Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay put on a classic as they battled over the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship.

Ospreay defeated Omega in the match to regain the IWGP US title. The match received significant praise, but one spot near the end proved to be divisive. Ospreay dropped Omega on his head/neck with a Tiger Driver 91 shortly before getting the victory.

Omega addressed the criticism of the move during an interview with Uproxx, noting that he does think about his health and would never do something in the ring if he didn’t trust himself to perform it.

“People that wanted to sh*t on something or people that want to frown upon something, or for people that want to say, ‘Well, if it were me, I wouldn’t have done that.’ I didn’t get to where I was by being able to do things that everyone else could do. I realized, and I recognized that I do have special talents that maybe not everyone else can do,” Omega said.

“Without revealing too much, I think a lot about my health. I think a lot about life after wrestling. I think a lot about my current life. I think about next week’s Dynamite and the week after that. I would never do something I didn’t trust myself in performing 100 percent.”

Omega told Uproxx that he wanted to take people on an emotional rollercoaster in the Ospreay match.

“That’s what I do,” Omega said. “There were a number of things that were designed to elicit a response from people, whether it be positive or negative. But I wanted to take people on an emotional rollercoaster.”

Omega said he takes a lot of pride in his profession and was preparing himself to wow the crowd at this kind of level.

Hopefully it leaves fans questioning is he okay? It’s all about the match. We’re battling in that ring and I want you to go along for the ride with us. If they thought everything else in that match was just the worst sh*t they’ve ever seen in their life, but that one moment, got them for a second, ‘He’s not going to kick out, he’s not going to get up, they better get the gurney, call in the f*cking airlift,’ that’s perfect. And if I had a whole match of those types of reactions, even better.

It’s all part of my job, it’s all part of my profession. These are things that I take a lot of pride in and I think that’s why when I went into this match, there’s a lot of physical and mental preparation that goes into it because I was really preparing myself to wow the crowd to this kind of level.

This was the second Omega vs. Ospreay match from 2023. At NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17, Omega won the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship by defeating Ospreay.

Omega told Uproxx that he’s thankful for performers like Ospreay who can bring out the best in him. 

I feel that magic when I’m in there with Will. I feel that pressure to perform, to deliver, to give the type of performance that I guess I’m known for. So I’m thankful for people on the planet like Will who can awaken that part in me, that as time goes by, it is harder to summon.

Will had his moment in the sun. But I’m proud of the performance. I’m proud of everything that I was able to do in preparation for the match, the sacrifices to keep my mind in a good place for that match. So I was firing on all cylinders. Before the match, during the match, and I’d say after it was all done, I lost this belt. You are that guy now, Will, I’m just going to kind of let it go.

On AEW Dynamite this Wednesday night, Omega will be in action. He’s facing Wheeler Yuta in a singles match on the episode.