Kenny Omega says critics of Tiger Driver 91 spot ‘just want to put a dark mark on that match’
Kenny Omega is not interested in hearing criticism of his match vs. Will Ospreay from those he says are not “even close to being qualified.”
Ospreay delivered a Tiger Driver 91 to Omega during their match at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door, a move most closely associated with Mitsuharu Misawa. Ospreay broke Misawa’s record for most five-star or higher rated matches of all time at Forbidden Door as well, when his match vs. Omega received a six star rating from our own Dave Meltzer.
Some have been critical of the move for being overly dangerous but Omega told Sports Illustrated recently that those complaining do not know what they are talking about.
“There are a lot of people criticizing who do not have my best interests at heart,” says Omega. “They just want to put a dark mark on that match, which is a performance I’m extremely proud of. And performances like that will be few and far between as I get older and older.”
“There are people who want to complain and put themselves on a pedestal by saying what we did was dangerous,” Omega continued. “Well, you think? So I’ve been asked, why did we do it? It made sense in the match and evoked emotion. And we both knew I would end up coming out of the move unscathed. Is there a risk? Sure. There’s always a risk.”
“Don’t tell me not to wrestle the way I know how to wrestle,” says Omega. “Is there a risk? Was there a risk when Mike Tyson was fighting within inches of space between another championship-level boxer throwing power punches? Of course. But Tyson was confident in his abilities, and he knew he was the best. So don’t tell Mike Tyson how to box, and don’t tell Tyson Smith how to wrestle. You aren’t even close to being qualified. Just shut the f— up.”
Jaguar Yokota is often credited with having invented the move, which she dubbed the Jaguar Driver ’85 in AJW.
Others from around the wrestling world have also offered their opinion on Omega taking the Tiger Driver 91. Rob Van Dam reacted to the move on his One of a Kind podcast, saying, “Did anybody go to take a a stretcher ride afterwards? Then the risk is probably worth the reward. It looked pretty f—ing good. It’s got us talking. Good job.”
Omega also told UpRoxx earlier this month that he “would never do something I didn’t trust myself in performing 100 percent” when asked about taking the move.
