Kenny Omega Addresses Potential IWGP US Title Contenders Ahead Of NJPW Tournament

Kenny Omega is once again the IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion, having bested Will Ospreay at New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Wrestle Kingdom in January. The two-time champion sent a video message to NJPW fans about the upcoming tournament to determine who will face Omega.

"It's your U.S. Heavyweight Champion," Omega began, "The Best Bout Machine, The Cleaner, Kenny Omega."

Omega then chastised anyone that believed that Jeff Cobb could dethrone the U.S. Champion in his recent challenge on AEW programming.

"So what you've done, you set up an interesting little four-man tournament," Omega continued, before listing off the competitors. "Hiroshi Tanahashi, Will Ospreay, Lance Archer, Juice Robinson, all four of these men, I respect. All four of these men, I've tangled with before. The problem is, all four of those men, I've already beaten 'em. So whoever it's gonna be, I'm sure it'll be a great match, it might even be the best bout, it might even be something that people talk about far and wide all around the world, but make no mistake about it. I will retain my belt. I will walk into the next Tokyo Dome just the way I walked out, with the championship belt, and there's really nothing you can do about it."

Omega's win against Cobb is his sole defense of the title since winning it from Ospreay on January 4. Omega has a long history with the U.S. Championship as he was the inaugural champion, defeating Tomohiro Ishii in Los Angeles, California in July 2017.