Kenny Omega defends the Tiger Driver 91 spot from his AEW-NJPW Forbidden Door match

By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

AEW star Kenny Omega (a/k/a Tyson Smith) spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated and responded to criticism of the Tiger Driver 91 move that he took from Will Ospreay at AEW-NJPW Forbidden Door. “There are a lot of people criticizing who do not have my best interests at heart,” Omega said. “They just want to put a dark mark on that match, which is a performance I’m extremely proud of. And performances like that will be few and far between as I get older and older…

“There are people who want to complain and put themselves on a pedestal by saying what we did was dangerous/. Well, you think? So I’ve been asked, why did we do it? It made sense in the match and evoked emotion. And we both knew I would end up coming out of the move unscathed. Is there a risk? Sure. There’s always a risk…

“Don’t tell me not to wrestle the way I know how to wrestle. Is there a risk? Was there a risk when Mike Tyson was fighting within inches of space between another championship-level boxer throwing power punches? Of course. But Tyson was confident in his abilities, and he knew he was the best. So don’t tell Mike Tyson how to box, and don’t tell Tyson Smith how to wrestle. You aren’t even close to being qualified. Just shut the f— up.” Read the full interview at SI.com.

Powell’s POV: Are there people who want to put a dark mark on the match? Sure. Pro wrestling is polarizing enough these days that it’s a fair statement regarding a small group of people. And Omega doesn’t have to respect my opinion or the opinions of anyone else who has never wrestled a match when it comes to our feelings regarding his matches or this particular spot. That’s his prerogative.

But as someone who has watched countless hours of pro wrestling over the years, I can tell you that it doesn’t enhance my viewing experience to see a wrestler take a bump on his head and neck. Rather, it takes me out of the moment due to legitimate concern for the wrestler’s wellbeing.

In the interview, Omega made a comparison to Cirque du Soleil performances. “During the high flying acrobatics, or seamlessly strung together choreography, I never go, ‘How stupid is this guy? If he falls, he’s dead.’ We’d be dead if we tried that. But here’s the thing. We’re not them. We’ll never be them. We weren’t meant to be them.”

I get what Omega is going for. But I also wonder how he would feel as a spectator if one of the Cirque performers executed a planned, yet dangerous stunt that left Omega legitimately fearing that a serious injury had occurred. I can only assume that it would take him out of the moment and put a real damper on the overall experience if he left the show fearing for the performer’s wellbeing. Would he also be left wondering if the risk was worth whatever the performer felt the reward was?