Kenny Omega On What NJPW Should Change If They Return To The U.S., Bullet Club As Household Names
Kenny Omega took questions from the media during a conference call on Monday ahead of this weekend's New Japan Pro Wrestling G1 Special shows from Long Beach, California. WrestlingINC.com owner Raj Giri was on the call and asked Omega what he would like to see done differently if and when New Japan returns to the US given the shows this weekend sold out in under two hours.
"I mean I always had faith in our product in the States," said Omega. "And I had really hoped that off the get go we had done something huge but I do understand the humble beginnings and this is going to be more of an intimate atmosphere. And that's fine too."
Both shows of the G1 Special in the USA will take place at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center. Tickets were purchased in 37 states in the limited amount of time they were available, all before any matches had been announced. Additional tickets were made available and sold out in two minutes.
"If we do it again, next time, you know, let's double, triple, the size," said Omega. "I think we can do it and that's just me having faith in our product. And actually me just having faith in myself, the Bullet Club, the elite."
Omega also believes the Bullet Club has more of a following in the United States than New Japan Pro Wrestling realizes.
"I think we as like the Bullet Club, especially, as household names, people are more familiar with us than I think maybe our company realizes," said Omega. "And we're all chomping at the bit to do more American stuff and we want to get in front of as many live faces as possible. I think with the proper promoting and especially if this show goes well, we can definitely go way above and beyond what we are doing in our first two shows and really go for it the next time we return to the States."
On Saturday, Kenny Omega will face Michael Elign at New Japan's G1 Special in Long Beach, California in the first round of the IWGP US Heavyweight Championship Tournament. A tournament that will continue on night two on Sunday night. Make sure to join us for coverage on Saturday night here at WrestlingINC.com.