NJPW recently held a press conference with IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega and his Wrestle Kingdom 13 opponent, Hiroshi Tanahashi. During the event, Omega was asked about his Golden Lovers partner Kota Ibushi.
“So he’s asking me if Ibushi should be free”, asked Kenny. “You know, I was listening to the previous comment, and I’m hearing all of these strange insider terms: heel, babyface. Oh my God! What does that mean in the year 2018? Look, I exposed myself and I exposed my relationship and deep love and trust for Ibushi in front of the world. And we want to work together, and change wrestling for a brighter future.
“But hey! One of us should be heel and one of us should be babyface, because that’s pro wrestling, right? No! For the third freaking time today, we are all human beings, and it’s time to tell human stories. Stories we relate to, and stories that are true to our hearts. This guy (Tanahashi) is playing the role of a hero, but it’s all fake. The real man behind Tanahashi isn’t a hero.
“I have things about me that I dislike, I’m not a perfect human being. I am flawed, but at least I can admit it, and at least Kenny Omega, Tyson Smith is exposed to every single one of you, every single night I perform in the ring. And the relationships that I have in my life with the fans, they’re all with me. We are all family. He wants to have that separation. I understand that. Old-school mentality, but that’s where we differ. Ibushi isn’t going anywhere, he’s staying with me, and I support his success 100%. But we will continue our success as the Golden Lovers, both as a tag team, and as single performers.”
