Kenny Omega Gets Emotional Over Why Kota Ibushi Wasn't Signed To AEW (Video)

By Joshua Gagnon

Over the weekend, Kenny Omega lost to Chris Jericho at AEW Double or Nothing (full results here) in the main event of the show. Omega also did an appearance at Starrcast II in Las Vegas where he spoke about why he couldn't sign Kota Ibushi to AEW.

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Back in February, Ibushi's NJPW contract was up and he initially signed a deal that would have kept him in the promotion until 2021. Ibushi noted in an interview with ShuPro that it wasn't about money, but instead he wanted to keep developing as he felt there would be nowhere for him to go after AEW.

A couple months later, NJPW sweeten the pot for Ibushi signing him to an even longer deal. In a press conference with NJPW, Ibushi said he would be with the company until his final days.

"To me, this is the last place I'll be," Ibushi said. "Until the day I die. Until the end. That's my contract period."

When speaking about Ibushi at Starrcast II, Omega began tearing up about why he couldn't bring Ibushi to AEW.

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"I knew that I couldn't ask Ibushi to sign because I knew it was his time, and he deserved it," Omega said as he teared up. "Anyway, I knew that if I asked for him to come here, that he would. And if I begged for him to come, that he would. But, I knew that his dream before anything that we ever did was to win the IWGP Heavyweight Belt."

Omega is scheduled to team up with The Young Bucks vs. PAC, Pentagon Jr., and Fenix at AEW Fyter Fest on June 29 in Dayton Beach, Florida. He'll then take on CIMA at AEW Fight for the Fallen on July 13 in Jacksonville, Florida. Ibushi is scheduled to defend the IWGP Intercontinental Championship against Tetsuya Naito at NJPW Dominion on June 9.

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