Kenny Omega vs. Gabe Kidd, Wrestle Dynasty, 1.5.25: The New Face

Something I wrote a few years ago on an old blog of mine:

Has a wrestling match ever made you cry?

I'm sure there are plenty of examples of storyline beats before and after matches that have triggered the waterworks – watch the crowd shots when Randy Savage and Elizabeth reunited after Macho Man vs. Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VII, or when the Golden Lovers reunited at the New Beginning in Sapporo in 2018. When Daniel Bryan returned to the ring at WrestleMania 34, I was practically sobbing during his entrance, and don't even get me started on the video package that played before Sasha Banks vs. Bayley at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn. But when's the last time the actual in-ring action brought you to tears?

Back in January 2019, former Bullet Club leader Kenny Omega lost the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to the "Ace" of New Japan, Hiroshi Tanahashi, in a 39-minute symphony that was cast as a war of philosophies: Tanahashi's adherence to traditional, in-ring, no-bullshit Puroresu vs Omega's more modern, video game informed, spot-and-weapon-heavy brand of storytelling. It exemplified the best of New Japan's brand of in-ring drama: every move, every choice the competitors made in the ring advanced a portion of the narrative, and every Tanahashi dragon screw that wrenched Omega's knee made me wince in terror. In retrospect, the outcome of the match should have never been in doubt: everyone knew that the Young Bucks and Cody Rhodes were about to spearhead a mass exodus to a new startup to be based in Jacksonville, Florida called All Elite Wrestling. Omega hadn't been attached to the new company yet, but in retrospect, it was pretty obvious that he would be. But going into that year's Wrestle Kingdom, Kenny's contract status was enough of a mystery that his losing the IWGP Heavyweight Championship was an emotional blow (partly because I selfishly had wanted to see him lose the title to Kota Ibushi). Regardless, Kenny Omega left New Japan and joined AEW, and in the few times he has returned to wrestle in a New Japan ring since then, it's been as an arrogant heel big-timing the company that some feel he abandoned to be one of the special top boys in a billionaire's new playground.

On March 8 of this year, British Bullet Club member Gabe Kidd defeated House of Torture's Ren Narita in the opening round of the New Japan Cup. Gabe Kidd is, to be blunt, a young, cocky asshole – a 27-year-old bully who isn't shy about picking on other members of the New Japan roster, trash talking entire companies, or talking himself up as being sooo crazy (to be fair, he did spend time in a psychiatric hospital addressing his mental health, which we'll touch on later). He's spent a lot of time being booed by the New Japan fan base, as do most members of Bullet Club, but on this night, Tokyo's Korakuen Hall was going absolutely mental cheering the War Dog. Sure, Gabe's War Dogs subgroup is in a Bullet Club civil war with EVIL's House of Torture, and no one cheers the House of Torture (all of their matches adhere to a tired formula that always results in a spam of outside interference and shenanigans. I don't know if "go away heat" is a concept Japanese wrestling fans are aware of, but it feels like the term is appropriate with these dorks). But these weren't just anti-HoT pops Kidd was getting; this was a crowd that was absolutely smitten with the current NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion. Not since, well, Kenny Omega has a Bullet Club member been so adored. And I'm guessing we can point right at the Gabe Kidd/Kenny Omega match at January's Wrestle Dynasty to see why.

Zack Sabre Jr. defending the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against AEW's Ricochet was the official main event for this cross-promotional Forbidden Door-style show, but let's not get it twisted: Omega/Kidd was the Big Money Match of the night, a current New Japan top gaijin vs. THE former top gaijin, on a show already steeped in inter-promotional rivalry. Let's process this from the perspective of New Japan's fan base. While New Japan and AEW are business partners enjoying a productive co-promotional relationship, it wouldn't be hard to imagine New Japan fans being salty toward the 6-year-old American company started by billionaire (or, if you want to be extra disparaging, the son of a billionaire) Tony Khan. AEW is directly responsible for not one, but two major talent exoduses from New Japan in recent years. Sure, there was the initial founding of the company, which saw Omega, Cody Rhodes, the Young Bucks, and "Hangman" Adam Page all leave New Japan, as well as several other Ring of Honor talents that had been shared with New Japan. In the last two years, AEW has also signed away New Japan stars Jay White, Juice Robinson, Katsuyori Shibata, Will Ospreay, and – perhaps the most shocking – former 7-time IWGP Heavyweight/World Heavyweight Champ Kazuchika Okada. There are real-world reasons for a lot of these defections; the yen's performance against the dollar in recent years seems to be the leading cause, but each of these talents had other reasons for making the jump, be it schedule, travel, or just wanting to try something new (in Shibata's case, it was likely the fact that AEW would let him work full matches, what with that whole subdural hematoma thing happening in a New Japan ring). Point being – New Japan fans have reason to be bitter toward AEW. Due to this exodus, New Japan finds itself in a position where it needs to build new stars, and build them faster than they normally like. Many former Young Lions have been given new, prominent roles in the roster as the company tries to bounce back, and while much of the attention has been given to the "New Musketeers" Yota Tsuji, Ren Narita, and Shota Umino, a hungry crew of young gaijin wrestlers have rejuvenated Bullet Club by coming together under the War Dogs banner. Gabe Kidd has unquestionably emerged as the most charismatic of this group, loudly talking shit wherever he goes, and backing up that talk as well. He broke AEW star Eddie Kingston's leg en route to beating him for the STRONG Openweight Title, and has been vocally trashing AEW ever since. So when it was announced that Kenny Omega would return to the ring after a year-long battle with diverticulitis at Wrestle Dynasty, Gabe Kidd jumped at the chance to fight him – to beat up on another AEW wrestler, sure, but as it turned out, to defend the pride of New Japan, as well.

Now, Kenny had returned to New Japan once before, at Wrestle Kingdom 17, when he took the IWGP United States Championship from Will Ospreay. Omega played the heel then as well, claiming that Will had failed in living up to Kenny's example as the top international New Japan talent. So it wasn't a stretch for Kenny to extend that ongoing thread with Kidd, claiming that Gabe, like so many other foreign New Japan wrestlers – especially Bullet Club wrestlers – aren't living up to the standards he set during his (admittedly epic) New Japan Bullet Club leader run.

Kidd, meanwhile, had a lot to say about the lack of respect he was being shown by Omega, to say nothing of his grievances with AEW and what he perceived as the lack of respect New Japan was being shown by a company Gabe clearly sees as inferior and, more importantly, unserious:

It's odd to be coming from a member of Bullet Club – the faction that introduced rampant outside interference and other Western brands of overall non-sportsmanship to NJPW – but the grievances aired by Gabe Kidd in this promo could very well be echoing what some in the New Japan fan base have felt since the inception of AEW. Heck, not even New Japan itself took AEW seriously at first; the company adopted a "wait and see" approach initially with the new company as it shied away from an immediate partnership, only cracking that Forbidden Door open when Chris Jericho wore the AEW World Championship into the ring for his match against Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom 14 at the start of 2020. New Japan has a regular talent sharing agreement with AEW now because it clearly makes good business sense, as exposure on AEW television helps make the New Japan roster a draw for their American NJPW STRONG shows, and certainly putting AEW stars on those shows move some tickets. But look at it all from the perspective of a Japanese fan who may see things more glass half empty: when New Japan talent gets booked on an AEW show, they rarely win; no New Japan talent has gone to AEW and brought home a championship from the company. Meanwhile, Jon Moxley won the IWGP World Title in Chicago and spent more time in the States as champ than he did in Japan. When Gabe says "we are getting our pants pulled down and dogged by the wrestling world," perhaps the fans hear some truth in the neokayfabe.

The Wrestle Kingdom 13 match between Omega and Tanahashi was a battle of philosophies, a fight over New Japan's direction; after over a year of thinly-attended "applause wrestling" Covid shows and the latest talent exodus, it's clear that Gabe Kidd saw his Wrestle Dynasty match with Omega as a battle for New Japan's very existence. So when he makes his entrance and sees Tanahashi on commentary for the match, Kidd goes right over to him and gets in his face, pointing at the War Dogs insignia on his warmup gear. But it's when he strips away his track pants to reveal black tights with the New Japan Lion Mark insignia on them that the crowd reacts, cheering and applauding this gesture, again, from one of the new Bullet Club's most violent fighters. "That's real!" he exclaims. They see what this fight now means to Gabe Kidd, and in that moment, they realize he's not just fighting for his own pride – he's fighting for New Japan, and for the New Japan fans. He's fighting to defend New Japan's honor in the face of that sellout, Kenny Omega. And just like that, Gabe Kidd is not only a babyface, but maybe the biggest babyface in all of New Japan.

By the way, also notable here – Kidd comes to ringside with his War Dogs brothers Clark Connors and Drilla Moloney, while Kenny Omega, the man who thrives with his friends at his side, comes to the ring for his first match in over a year...with no one. Afterwards, it was noted by Kenny and confirmed by reporting that Omega wanted his Golden Lovers partner, Kota Ibushi, at ringside with him, but Ibushi – who notoriously had a falling out with New Japan and subsequently signed a contract with AEW – was banned from the Tokyo Dome on this night.

The opening moments of the match do establish Kidd as the de facto babyface in the contest, as both men circle each other, throwing boxing-style jabs – Kenny mocking Kidd's stance until Gabe responds with a loud, frustrated "Fuck you, bitch, let's go!" When they finally begin exchanging blows, Gabe lands the first big shoulder tackle; when Kenny responds with a boot to the face, Kidd's immediately up, no-selling the shot and felling Omega with his own big boot. Kidd's getting the early shine, even shaking off Kenny's chops while dropping Omega with his own. Meanwhile, the debate rages on commentary as Chris Charlton drags Kenny for his "sickening" comments leading up to the match, such as claiming that Gabe Kidd is able to cash a check because Omega put New Japan on the map. NJPW/AEW joint employee Rocky Romero is on commentary as well, playing the role of AEW advocate while play-by-play man Walker Stewart referees his two color men. Rocky insists that to Kenny's point, he, along with the Young Bucks and the rest of 2017-2018 era Bullet Club, did put New Japan on the map internationally and opened doors for loads of wrestlers to find work. And it's here where Charlton starts to get into some hot water, stating that it was all well and good until "money mark" Tony Khan came along to dangle a huge payday in front of the Elite, who sold out and took the bait. This commentary ended up getting Charlton "suspended" from NJPW for roughly two and a half months; personally, I suspect that "suspension" was about as kayfabe as the feud itself. The commentators are getting as fired up as the wrestlers, and it just enhances the heat of the match. Hard to convince me that any of Chris Charlton's comments weren't approved beforehand, but I've been wrong before.

The crowd pops when Kenny attacks a seated Kidd, slumped against the ropes, and Kidd responds with a loud, “BRING IT” in Japanese that causes Kenny to laugh derisively. He throws Kidd-style jabs at Gabe in the ropes, causing the crowd to boo, and Gabe responds to the disrespect with a loud SLAP that pops the crowd, then suplexes Kenny and himself out of the ring onto the floor. Even as they brawl, Kidd grabbing the advantage by repeatedly launching Kenny into the railings, Gabe is subtly showing his respect for his New Japan training, at one point rising from the floor into a cross-legged sitting position reminiscent of his LA Dojo trainer/mentor, Katsuyori Shibata. Kidd sets up a table at ringside to use later; when referee Bryce Remsburg admonishes him, Kidd responds with "shut up, AEW bitch! I don't listen to an AEW referee!" Kenny then takes advantage of Gabe's distraction to connect with a sliding kick from the ring to knock Kidd into the railings. He follows up with a plancha over the top rope onto Kidd on the floor, but the contact causes Omega pain in his abdomen, which begins the selling of his vulnerable, post-diverticulitis insides.

As the boos mount for Kenny, things are kicked up a notch when it's Omega who power bombs Kidd through the tables he set up before. Gabe is reeling and Remsburg calls for help as he checks whether Kidd can continue. Clark Connors yells "he can fucking go!" while Chris Charlton on commentary is screaming that an AEW referee is of course going to question whether the New Japan wrestler can continue. Walker Stewart tries to talk him off the ledge as Omega continues the attack on a now-bloody War Dog. And here's where the match kicks into that car crash style that Tanahashi said he abhorred six years ago: as Kidd slumps against the guard rail – Remsburg, a few Young Lions, and the War Dogs tending to him – Kenny connects with another plancha that fells everyone, injuring his own hip in the process. When Kenny calls for a Young Lion to bring him ice for his hip, Omega knocks him down for being too slow, once again drawing Charlton's ire. "He doesn't run the show here like he does in AEW." (After this spot, by the way, Remsburg is eventually replaced by Red Shoes Unno, which is a fun touch. Can't blame the result on an AEW ref anymore!)

What I continue to find remarkable about this match is that, six years after Hiroshi Tanahashi criticized this brand of wrestling as a way to get under Omega's skin, he's now on Japanese commentary as Gabe Kidd tries to match Omega spot for spot in defense of the promotion Tana now serves as President of. "This is the fight Gabe Kidd picked," says Walker. As Gabe fights back, taking the advantage with a solid punch right to the diverticulitis, he attacks Kenny with chairs and suplexes him through a table, once again sitting cross-legged in tribute to Shibata as Kenny writhes next to him. Chairs are thrown into the ring, as Red Shoes hasn't quite made it to ringside yet, so it's a free for all as weapons, for the moment, are "legal," much to the chagrin of 2019 Tanahashi.

Somehow, the violence continues to escalate. Kenny moves into the phase of all his matches where he starts spamming V-Trigger knee strikes. He hits Kidd with an avalanche dragon suplex from the top rope, much like the one he hit Tana with at WK13. He tries to finish off Kidd with the One Winged Angel, but his damaged core keeps him from landing the move as Kidd counters into an Antonio Inoki-style abdominal stretch, attacking Kenny with the submission move of the company's founder. Walker Stewart is fired up. "An Inoki staple! This is New Japan!" After all those weapons, will it be the bread and butter of classic New Japan that gets the win? Kenny reaches the ropes, but Gabe tosses him with a German suplex – after which Kenny gets right up, fighting spirit style, and hits Gabe with a clothesline...which has no effect. Gabe responds with a knee that absolutely rocks Kenny, then spikes Kenny with a piledriver for a two count that the entire Tokyo Dome screams along with. Tiger driver and piledriver almost win it for Gabe but Kenny was too close to the ropes. INSANE tiger driver. Match is 30 minutes in at this point.

Gabe hits more body blows, then an enziguiri - “Inoki again!” says Charlton – but Kenny responds with a V-Trigger. V-Trigger against the ropes, sick power bomb, another V-Trigger. ONE COUNT. (God, I'm a mark for a late-match "fuck you" one count.) Gabe is on his knees and shaking his head NO. He's on his knees, giving Kenny double birds. Kenny grabs his wrists and hits the Kamagoye, Kota Ibushi's signature knee strike. Kenny often goes back to Kota when he needs an extra hand, even if his golden lover is banned from the building. And with that, he hits the One Winged Angel and gets the win. He dug into his love of Ibushi to get the win, but Gabe Kidd now has thousands who love him. “What a battle. Two of the most stubborn individuals I've ever met in my life giving everything in the Tokyo Dome,” says Rocky. Chris Charlton: “We came into this about New Japan Pro Wrestling versus AEW. But we come out unified in this fighting spirit, unified in the heart and soul in combat. We saw everything that was greater than All Elite Wrestling, greater than New Japan Pro Wrestling, and the ultimate in greatness, you're looking at him. Kenny Omega. But Gabe Kidd is undoubtedly on the same level.”

The camera finds President Hiroshi Tanahashi at this moment. He's weeping openly at the commentary table, emotionally overcome. This is not the sort of match he may have preferred back when he won the IWGP Heavyweight Title from Omega, but clearly the sight of the young, British Bullet Club wildman personifying fighting spirit was deeply affecting. A month after the match, Gabe spoke to the New Japan website about Tana's reaction:

He knows what I've been through. I was Facetiming him from a psychiatric hospital. I would Facetime with him, and he gave me an hour of his time every day when he knew I was going crazy. So there is a deeper relationship there. We've had our differences, enough that back in April I said I was going to stab him, but in that moment in the Tokyo Dome, he understood who was going to carry this company forward. He understood what the moment meant to me, and he knows what the company means to him. He dedicated his life to this place, too. So it was a realization, and an overhwelmingly emotional one. I'm not one to cry on camera, but I know what emotion he was feeling, and Tokon, fighting spirit, it's built on that emotion. He saw that his company is about to be on the up and I'm sure there was some pride in there as well.

Gabe Kidd is helped away from the ring by Clark Connors and Drilla Moloney, his brothers in arms. He sobs as he makes his way to the back, spent, but having won the respect and love of the Tokyo Dome faithful. Tana cries with him as Kenny Omega, AEW Executive Vice President, former IWGP Heavyweight Champion and ultimate New Japan villain, has his arm raised in victory once again. He's 2-0 as a visiting heel, putting the New Japan gaijin roster in its place. Still, when Will Ospreay got his rematch at Forbidden Door, he took his title back from Kenny in brutal Tiger Driver fashion. Perhaps we'll get a rematch later this year between Gabe Kidd and Kenny Omega in London in August?

Even if Kidd manages to best Omega in a rematch in an AEW ring, the story likely won't be over until someone takes down Kenny in a New Japan ring. The New Japan fans want that moment in front of them, where one of their own takes down their former favorite, the guy who brags that he made that company before abandoning them for the States and the big Tony Khan payday. Kidd said himself in that same NJPW interview:

In my head, this was NJPW vs AEW. That company has more money than us, it has stars there that used to be stars for us. So in my mind I wanted to put New Japan back on the map. New Japan is the best wrestling company in the world, and it has been for a long time, so I wanted to represent, and I wanted to prove this company is the best.

This story isn't over. Someone has to beat Kenny in Japan. If the ovation Gabe Kidd received at Korakuen Hall on March 8 is any indication, it should be him. The craziest, most violent member of Bullet Club is the new face of New Japan Pro Wrestling, and Hiroshi Tanahashi couldn't be happier.