Although wrestling is subjective, perhaps no other performer can boast more stars for match quality than Kenny Omega. The master of the One-Winged Angel took to X to commemorate the 7th anniversary of one particular contest he felt belonged in the upper echelon of those in his catalog. In 2017 at NJPW Destruction, Omega battled fellow AEW star Juice Robinson in an epic encounter for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship. “Juice took me to the absolute limit,” Omega’s post said. “Juice ain’t no joke and he’d eventually solidify himself as a worthy US champ himself after this.”
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There is a very personal story surrounding this match that I’d love to tell but character count wouldn’t allow for it or do it justice here.
Aside from all that, Juice took me to the absolute limit and this became the first time I had no choice but to use a Super OWA to get the… https://t.co/casd6dGKQV
— Kenny Omega (@KennyOmegamanX) September 24, 2024
Omega’s post included a short video from the match in which he used the “Super OWA” maneuver, a particularly brutal-looking brain-buster from the apron to the floor. “This became the first time I had no choice but to use a Super OWA to get the job done,” Omega’s post read. Omega would eventually win the match and retain his championship.
His opponent Robinson spent several of his early years in WWE’s developmental system. In the mid-2010s he found success in Japan, where his memorable bout with Omega took place. Following his NJPW exit in April 2022, Robinson made his AEW debut on the September 28 “AEW Dynamite,” losing to then-AEW World Champion Jon Moxley. By late 2023, he found himself aligned with the Bang Bang Gang (Bullet Club Gold). Omega, meanwhile, has not wrestled at all in 2024. “The Cleaner” has been out since December 2023 with a severe bout of diverticulitis. Omega recently underwent surgery for his diverticulitis, and his future remains up in the air. The same condition forced Brock Lesnar to retire from UFC in 2011.
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