The Best Bout Machine: an analysis and summary of Kenny Omega's Career

I’ve always had two types of characters that I love. The first, as my dad and I call them, are the big dumb goody-goody Boy Scouts – think of Superman when you think of this character. They’re good and just and they ultimately just want to do the right thing, not for themselves but because it’s the right thing to do. The first wrestler that comes to mind for most people with this archetype is John Cena – who hasn’t been a heel character in nearly 20 years; in fact, he was only a “bad guy” for about a year, turning face after joining Kurt Angle’s Survivor Series team in 2003.

The other type is the no-good, lying, cheating, scheming, sarcastic asshole character. You can thank Eddie Guerrero for that one. Sure, they’re slimy assholes who would probably sell you out in a second if they don’t like you; but there’s just something about them you can’t hate. Luckily for me, Kenny Omega has been both, and he plays both incredibly well.

I don’t remember the first Kenny match I ever saw, but I do know that it was long before his full-time NJPW days. But the first match I remember making me a fan. Kenny was wrestling Kota Ibushi. I was fascinated by them: they seemed to move in sync, more of a dance than a match. The Golden Lovers, dancing endlessly against each other, taunting and teasing the other. Even though they were supposed to be against each other, they never really are. Kenny’s too controlled by his love for Ibushi, something that drove him to Japan in the first place.

Photo credit: TheSportster

The story of Golden Lovers starts in 2006. Kenny is 23 and miserable – he’s just spent the year in Deep South Wrestling, WWE’s developmental at the time, and he hated it. Kenny felt like they didn’t get his vision of wrestling and he feels that no one ever would. He believes that pro wrestling is an art form with infinite possibilities, as long as you have the imagination and skill to create it. He felt like no one saw wrestling like this. But then Kenny discovered Kota Ibushi.

Do you know that moment in movies? That moment where the music swells and the sun shines brightly down on the love interest? I think that must be what Kenny felt when he found Ibushi.

A friend shows Kenny videos from Dramatic Dream Team (DDT) – a Japanese wrestling promotion. This is where Kenny first sees Kota Ibushi, and Kenny immediately thinks that Ibushi believes the same things about wrestling that he does. Because Ibushi is athletic and talented, he’s not afraid to make people laugh. Kenny hates that guys think they’re too good or cool to make people laugh, he believes you can be tough and funny at the same time. He’s thrilled that Ibushi thinks the same way. So, Kenny does his best to get DDT’s attention. Kenny thinks this Ibushi guy has to be tough and he has to meet him. Kenny believes it's his destiny to wrestle with Kota Ibushi – as tag partners or as enemies, Kenny knows they’ll make magic together.

Kenny sends in an audition tape for DDT. He films it at a cabin in Canada and he specifically made it a falls count anywhere match because he knows it’s Ibushi’s specialty. The match is ridiculous and funny, but it gets DDT’s attention. They invite Kenny to Japan.

Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi would step into the ring together for the very first time on August 6th, 2008. This match is important to Kenny: in his mind, if he wins, he secures his place as Ibushi’s rival. During the match, Kenny and Ibushi show off for each other – Kenny shoulder checks Kota to knock him down, Ibushi immediately kips back up with a grin; Kenny makes Kota jump for nothing and then flexes his biceps at him; Kenny and Kota kick each other in the head at the same time, both fall to the ground, perfectly in sync.

Ibushi would win. It’s the first time Kenny cries after a match. Their lives and wrestling are changed dramatically forever. Later, Kenny would describe this match as the first time he wasn’t good enough. As confident as Kenny is – no matter how talented he knows he is – Kenny’s struggles with his fears of inadequacy follow him throughout his career.

Photo credit: NJPW documentary Second Home

But here’s the important part: now it’s not just Kenny that feels this magic about himself and Ibushi. Ibushi feels it too. Others are feeling it too. Kenny vs Kota wins Samarai TV’s Match of the Year, Kenny gets invited back to compete with DDT, and Kenny and Ibushi (friends outside of the ring by this point) beg to tag together. DDT obliges and allows them to team together, dubbing them the Golden Twins because of how they move in sync.

Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi rename themselves the Golden Lovers.

This isn’t necessarily a story about the Golden Lovers – that’s another story for another day. But Kenny Omega is a character defined by his emotions, and his emotions about Kota Ibushi drive many points of Kenny’s career. Time and time again, Kenny’s feelings for Ibushi drive his actions, either by filling him with pride or by making him more cynical because he’s determined to show the world he’s better than Kota Ibushi. He wants to prove that he’s just as good if not better than Ibushi. The problem Kenny Omega faces is his fear of inadequacy. He worries that he isn’t good enough, and in his mind, Ibushi is always good enough.

Eventually, Kenny and Ibushi split, and Kenny signs for NJPW full-time. He debuts his new gimmick as the Cleaner. The Cleaner is different than the Kenny we saw before, who dressed in bright colors with a large smile on his face. The Cleaner Kenny is wearing a long leather coat, sunglasses, and black gloves, and he has a toothpick in his mouth. He looks like the stereotypical bad boy in movies. He’s mean and overdramatic and villainous. So naturally, Kenny aligns himself with the Bullet Club.

Kenny had run-ins with the Bullet Club before in his super junior weight days. However, this is a new Kenny. He’s even changed his weight class – something difficult to do because you need to get NJPW’s permission to be in a new weight class. Kenny knows that above all else, Bullet Club guys can win. Who cares if they have to lie, cheat, and steal their way to victory – what’s the point of being a good guy if Kenny isn’t with Ibushi.

Here’s the thing about Kenny Omega. Kenny believes, with a few rare exceptions, that he is the absolute best wrestler in any room he is in. So why not align himself with guys that’ll prove it? He has this need to be the best. And Bullet Club – specifically Matt and Nick Jackson – swear that he is. He’s even better than Ibushi. He has this need to constantly talk about Ibushi and how he’s better than Ibushi. Because Kenny has to be. He can’t catch up and be his equal again, he has to be better. He brings Kota into his story again and again and again, even when fighting wrestlers that have nothing to do with him.

Ibushi is working for DDT and NJPW. In 2015, Ibushi wins the NJPW Cup, meaning he can challenge for any heavyweight title he wants. Naturally, Ibushi picks the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, the most Prestigious title in NJPW, and more importantly the title Kota has dreamed about. At this time, AJ Styles is the leader of Bullet Club and he holds this title. AJ and Kota wrestle for the title on April 5, 2015, and Kenny is at ringside – but not for Ibushi. He’s there for AJ Styles.

Kenny betrays Ibushi. He distracts him during the match. AJ Styles counters Ibushi’s Phoenix Splash into a Styles Clash and pins Ibushi to retain. Kenny and Kota both cry. Kenny betrays his heart in his determination to be the best. He leaves his heart behind in Kota Ibushi.

Ibushi would be injured a few months later. In February 2016, he resigns from both DDT and NJPW. Kenny and Kota wouldn’t share a ring for years.

In January 2016, Kenny decides he’s had enough of playing Second Best to AJ Styles. He and the Young Bucks take him out, deciding it's the best plan for Bullet Club to succeed. This is one of many times the Bucks side with Kenny over anyone. They will, in their own words, go wherever Kenny goes.

Kenny blames AJ Styles for “forcing” him to be a junior this whole time. He blames AJ Styles for undermining him. He was only faking to be junior to please AJ Styles. This was what should have been all along: Kenny, the heavyweight, leading Bullet Club with the Bucks at his side. This moment leads to the creation of the Elite – the Elite is the Bullet Club but better. Because it’s Kenny and the Bucks. The greatest pro wrestlers in the world.

Kenny’s ego grows. Sometimes he even refuses to take off his shirt for matches if he thinks the match isn’t worthy enough. If he’s not wearing black tights, he thinks this match is a waste of his time. Then he defeats Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.

Hiroshi Tanahashi is the Ace of NJPW and, more importantly, Hiroshi Tanahashi is Kota Ibushi’s wrestling God. By defeating Ibushi’s God, Kenny believes he’s Ibushi’s new God.

Ibushi goes to WWE to compete in the Cruiserweight Classic. Kenny is betrayed and angrily says it’s “embarrassing” to be a junior in WWE and Kenny can do so much more than him in Japan. Kenny tries out for the G1 Climax, his first one ever, and if he wins he’s guaranteed a spot in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom. One person is standing between Kenny and the finals: Tetsuya Naito.

Naito has the advantage: for Kenny to advance, he has to beat Naito, but Naito only needs a tie. Naito also has the crowd behind him (Kenny says he doesn’t care. He does). Kenny gives his blackened heart and soul into the match and wins the crowd over, but in his post-match promo, he spits venom. He’s angry: the crowd only liked him when he won. The crowd betrayed him. They don’t believe in him. This is a knife in his back: Kenny gave everything to these people and they see him as Second Best.

They don’t, of course. They know how good Kenny is. But he doesn’t believe that. So Kenny convinces himself that cutting out his heart and leaving it with Kota Ibushi is the best thing he ever did. Having a heart makes you weak, it means you care. He can’t afford to care.

But that’s the problem. Kenny Omega is a character driven by how much he cares. He cares what people think of him, so much so it admittedly affects the way he wrestles. Kenny cares because he wants to prove to himself that he’s the best. Kenny cares about proving to the world that he’s the best.

Kenny’s desire and want to be the best is his greatest downfall. He can never be one of the best: his fears of inadequacy won’t allow it. He has to be better than everyone around him because then he feels like what he’s doing is important. When he joined Bullet Club and betrayed Ibushi, that was Kenny cutting out his heart and deciding that he would do whatever it takes for everyone to know him as the Best Wrestler in the World.

Kenny wins the G1. Canadian born Kenny Omega is the first foreigner to ever win the G1. He thinks it’s enough to bring Ibushi back because surely Ibushi realizes that Kenny is the Best Wrestler in the World. Ibushi doesn’t come back. Kenny still asks for Michael Nakazawa to protect Ibushi while the two are in WWE and specifically asks for him to make sure Ibushi doesn’t sign a contract that will hurt him. Kenny acts like he doesn’t care that Ibushi doesn’t come back. (He watches the Cruiserweight Classic begrudgingly to see how Ibushi’s doing. Then the Dusty Cup when Ibushi sticks around.)

Kenny Omega faces his first WK main event, his first IWGP Heavyweight title shot, and his first match against Kazuchika Okada. Okada and Omega would go on to have a fantastic series of matches, but all series require a beginning.

Okada is one of Kenny’s greatest foils because he’s everything Kenny wants to be. Kenny cares so much it drives him insane. Okada is so confident in himself and his abilities that he’s unimpressed with pretty much every person he has ever met. Okada is confident in his place in NJPW and his abilities. During the lead-up to their match, Okada feels like Kenny doesn’t care enough. Kenny argues that Okada doesn’t take him seriously. (Kenny is right, Okada doesn’t take him seriously. Not yet, anyway.)

Here’s the thing with Kenny. He never quite masters the confident aura that guys like Okada and Naito have. Sure Kenny is confident, but you can see when his fears catch up to him. Okada and Naito can act like they don’t care easily because they don’t care. (Anyone who knows Naito is well aware this is an act, but he’s much better at hiding it now because when you could see how much he cared, it was eating him alive. So he mustered up all his tranquilo in Mexico and returned to Japan as bored and uncaring as he could muster.) Kenny, as cocky and confident as the Cleaner is, has a terrible poker face. You can see how much he cares, it spills out of him: it overflows and drives him. Kenny knows how good he is, and his friends know how good he is, but he has to have the entire world to know that Kenny Omega is the absolute Best Wrestler in the World. He can’t be Second Place because then he’s failed.

In tag matches before the big match, Kenny makes sure to hit his One-Winged Angel enough, and makes sure to cheat enough, so Okada won’t be 100% going into WK.

But it comes down to the heart. Kenny cut his out. He doesn’t win. At least he has the Bucks.

Photo credit: TheSportster

Kenny’s crushed. He says he’s okay because at least he has the Bucks. But he wasn’t good enough. It eats him alive. He did everything he thought that he needed to: closed himself off, tore out his heart, and he failed anyway. He just wasn’t good enough. At the same time, across the ocean, WWE is trying to secure Kota Ibushi.

Ibushi doesn’t sign with WWE. Kenny resigns with NJPW. The next time we see Kenny, he tells the fans “What is a good guy? What is a bad guy? What is ‘heel?’ What is ‘babyface?’ NOTHING! There is ‘the Best’ and then there is ‘Second Place.’”

Kota comes back to Japan, but he doesn’t go to NJPW. He and Kenny don’t wrestle together. He still thinks there’s a future for them, though. Even despite Kenny’s betrayal.

Okada challenges Kenny again. Kenny decides he wants Okada to be 100% in their match because if he can beat Okada at 100% means that not only does he beat Shining Golden Boy of NJPW, but he beats the whole company.

(Maybe then Kota Ibushi will think he’s good enough and come back.)

The Bucks accompany Kenny to the ring as they always do. They believe in him. They believe he’s the Best Wrestler in the World. They’d follow him to the ends of the earth. They even listen to him when he says not to interfere, following Red Shoes’ instructions exactly (he doesn’t even let them give Kenny water, which they begrudgingly agree to). The Bucks even hold off other Bullet Club members from cheating for Kenny. Kenny believes if he cheats he won’t be the Best Wrestler in the World and he can’t have that. Kenny’s gotta prove to everyone he’s the best.

Kenny doesn’t win. It’s a tie. Okada is still the champion. The crowd is behind Kenny, with Nick repeatedly telling Kenny how much the crowd loves him. Kenny doesn’t believe them. He didn’t win, he doesn’t deserve their love. He’s Second Place, he’s not the Best. Post-match, Kenny even contemplates if he’s a good BC leader (the Bucks swear he is, he swears he isn’t).

As the years and accolades go on, Kenny’s ego grows. He’s becoming a more tyrannical leader of the Bullet Club, lashing out against anyone who goes against him. Kenny and the Bucks ‘kill off’ Adam Cole when Adam starts to question Kenny.

Kota Ibushi returns for the G1 Climax 27.

He isn’t impressed by Kenny’s latest matches. He doesn’t like the person Kenny has become. (It was all for Ibushi, though. Because Kenny just wanted to impress him and make Kota know that Kenny was the Best Wrestler in the World. Maybe if Kenny has that match with him, Kenny can prove it.)

Kenny and Kota have a moment in the hallway, their hands reach out, but they don’t touch.

Kenny also enters the G1 Climax; he makes it farther than Kota, but he still doesn’t win. He even manages to beat Okada - but this is an Okada not at 100%. It isn’t Kenny’s fault, though, so he doesn’t feel too bad. Many people view the Bucks as the Best Tag Team in the World and Kenny as the Best Wrestler in the World, they even managed to get Cody Rhodes, of all people, to leave WWE and join Bullet Club.

But here’s a new problem: Cody just can’t seem to leave Ibushi alone. He’s taunting everyone he can, flaunting his newfound freedom from the fed, and mocking the NJPW wrestlers about the success he’s already found and the friends in high places he’s made. The thing you need to know about Cody is that he’s a snake – he’ll turn on anyone if it means he’ll get ahead. In some ways he and Kenny are alike: they’re both ambitious and cannot handle being Second Best. But their reasoning for not wanting to be second place is what makes them different.

Kenny Omega wants to leave a legacy as the Best Wrestler in the World; Kenny wants to be loved and remembered for being the best at what he does. Cody Rhodes already has a legacy in place – his father is a legend and the Rhodes are considered wrestling royalty, often considered one of the big seven greatest wrestling families. Cody is ambitious because there is no other way of existing that has meaning to him.

But Cody is also very smart. He grew up in the wrestling world and he knows how to get what he wants. Unlike Adam Cole, who was ‘killed off’ recently, for trying to confront his issues with Kenny head-on, Cody knows that he has to be subtle about it. So he goes after Kenny’s heart, which has been left behind in Kota Ibushi.

Ibushi still won’t look at Kenny while he’s in Bullet Club. He knows there is a future for the Golden Lovers, but Ibushi can’t look at Kenny standing with the men that Kenny chose over him.

Kenny specifically tells the Bullet Club to leave Ibushi alone. On November 5, 2017, Ibushi is bruised and battered after an emotional IC title match with Tanahashi. Cody slithers up to him, all evil smiles with his new Ring of Honor title in his grasp. “Kenny told me to leave you alone, but I just couldn’t resist,” he says. He has a proposition for Ibushi: Cody wants Ibushi at Wrestle Kingdom.

Kota accepts. After all, Kenny told Cody to stay away, so maybe – just maybe – Kota could fight to give Kenny his heart back. Ibushi must think that Kenny still cares after all. (We know Kenny never stopped.) Cody’s ambition can’t allow him to be Second Best, he can’t be in a faction where he’s not the leader. He knows that his taunts to Ibushi hurt Kenny too – he knows that Kenny and Kota were not just tag partners. So to cause the most damage possible, Cody has to destroy Ibushi at Wrestle Kingdom 12.

Ibushi wins the match. But that’s not important. Here’s what’s important: during the match, Cody pulls Ibushi close and yells “Kenny doesn’t love you like I love you.” Kenny doesn’t love you. Kota Ibushi is different than Kenny Omega: Kota’s got a great poker face. Kota uses the Kamigoye, his knee-striking finisher based on Shinsuke Nakamura's Kinshasa that he’s used since Kenny’s betrayal, to get Cody down. You can’t read his emotions like you usually can with Kenny. But this time is different. When Cody goes down, Kota doesn’t cover him immediately like he usually would, instead, he heads to the top ropes.

Kota won’t let the Bullet Club weaponize his emotions about Kenny. Kota uses the Phoenix Splash. He hasn’t used it in Japan since Kenny betrayed him. By doing this, he takes back the pain and anguish he felt when Kenny betrayed him; Ibushi reclaimed the Phoenix Splash.

The next night, at New Year's Dash, Cody attacks Ibushi. He has Bullet Club members Hikuleo and Chase Owens hold Kota so Cody can hit Ibushi with a chair. Then Kenny stops him and Cody gets what he wants: he wanted Kenny, for months, to react to Cody trying to get to Ibushi. And now he finally did. Kenny shoves Cody multiple times and yells that Cody needs to get over losing the match. Then Kenny turns to Ibushi and the crowd screams.

It’s the first time the audience really gets to see Kenny’s emotions about Kota. We know, now, that everything he’s been saying is a lie: he doesn’t want to fight Kota. Kenny doesn’t want to hurt him. Kenny before had pledged his loyalty to Bullet Club, determining to do whatever it took to make it the best it’s ever been. But his love for Ibushi is greater. For the first time, momentarily, we see Kenny choose someone over Bullet Club. Kenny can’t stand to see Kota Ibushi hurt, so he’ll even attack his friends, his stablemates if it means that Kota will be okay.

The story of the Golden Lovers, like Kenny and Kota has said multiple times over the years, is a love story. The story of two men who lived in different cultures for over twenty years, and then they managed to meet by fate. They managed to understand each other as no one else had before. But this love story is one marked with tragedy.

After Kenny yells at Cody that he is the leader, he doesn’t turn back to Ibushi. He walks away, leaving Ibushi behind. In his post-match interview, a reporter tells Ibushi that in the end, Kenny saved him. Kota says he doesn’t know if Kenny was, then changes the subject and talks about his plans.

Kenny has plans too. Bullet Club, under his leadership, is starting to crack and he’s trying desperately to save them. If Bullet Club falls under his leadership, then he isn’t the best and Kenny can’t have that. His solution is to introduce Jay White as the newest Bullet Club recruit. (Here’s a secret: Jay White has been a background player in this story: he was one of the Young Lions that helped Ibushi out of the ring when Kenny betrayed Ibushi all those years ago. He knows what Kenny is like and he’s ready, like everyone against Kenny, to weaponize Ibushi against him.) But Kenny believes that Jay White is just like him, telling him that he’s like the Cleaner Kenny in 2015. Jay White is not like Kenny Omega.

Kenny Omega had to cut out his heart and betray everything to join Bullet Club. The Kenny before had to be destroyed because he wasn’t a good fit for Bullet Club – so Kenny burned his golden heart and his golden smile to become dark. But Jay White fits into Bullet Club just the way he is. And he knows that Kenny inviting him to join the Bullet Club is to help Kenny – it’s easier to go against stablemates in the G1 than rivals. Jay White, at least for now, rejects joining Bullet Club.

Kenny can’t believe it. He destroyed everything to be in Bullet Club, he thought everyone was “dying” to be a member. To be in Bullet Club, Kenny burned his golden heart, blackened his soul, and turned his back on the Golden Lovers. Now here’s Jay White, acting like a Bullet Club membership means nothing.

Photo credit: Kenny Omega interview with Kevin Kelly

Through Bullet Club, Kenny had gotten accomplishments others only dreamed of. He won heavyweight titles, he had the Bucks, he main events Wrestle Kingdom, and he was the first-ever foreigner to win the G1. But Kenny is starting to feel empty. He admits in an interview the closest he felt to true, genuine happiness was winning the G1, admitting that “the only other time I felt that was when I was a tag team with an old partner of mine.”

He can’t even be happy Kota’s back. Because Kenny never got his epic showdown where Kenny Omega proved to himself and the world that he was better than Kota Ibushi. Instead, every time Kota reaches out, Kenny pulls away. But at least he has the Bucks, even though they’ve been distracted lately.

Before Kota and Cody clashed at Wrestle Kingdom, Kenny had his match. The ref kicked the Bucks out and Kenny had to stumble to the back alone. At New Year's Dash, the Bucks didn’t protect him against Jay White. Kenny’s also feeling a little burned – he thinks the Bucks have been editing him out of their YouTube show Being the Elite. (They aren’t. Cody is currently messing with BTE editing.)

At dinner after NYD, Being the Elite shows Kenny confronting his friends. He’s angry and demands to know why Cody just won’t leave Kota Ibushi alone. The Bucks are confused – they thought the tension between Cody and Kenny was about being the leader because that’s what Kenny told them. Matt complains that Kenny is trying to ruin their dinner. He doesn’t have time for leader drama. Matt and Nick Jackson, admittedly because Kenny has downplayed the situation, do not understand why Kota Ibushi is such a big deal to Kenny. They also did not see the events of NYD. They don’t understand why he’s so upset. So Kenny gets up and leaves. Cody is pleased because his plan is working: he’s causing tension between Kenny and the Bucks, so he can be one step closer to his true destiny of leading the Bullet Club.

Here’s the problem Cody never saw coming. He gave Kota Ibushi hope that maybe Kenny’s golden heart can be returned to him. A Kota Ibushi with hope is more dangerous than any Bullet Club member. Because we’ve now seen that if it came down to it, Kenny would choose his heart.

Cody challenges Ibushi to another match at New Beginning, and Kota accepts. During night one, Kenny and the Bucks have a tag match against SHO, YOH, and Jay White; the next day, Kenny and Jay White have a title match. After Kenny and the Bucks win during night one, Kenny is attacked by Jay White. The Bucks are too busy showing off for the hard cam to protect Kenny. They were just as surprised by the attack, but it’s another hit in the wound. The Bucks are starting to understand they have to be careful with Kenny, apologizing “publicly and privately” and promising they won’t let it happen again.

Kenny and the Bucks love each other. They’ve been best friends for years, traveled the world together, and created the Elite together. Kenny is the Best Wrestler in the World and the Bucks are the Best Tag Team in the World. But this crack in them is something we’ve never seen before.

Meanwhile, New Beginning has Kota and Cody in tag matches for both nights. Bullet Club wins night one, but during the match, he doesn’t bother Kota too much. However, he does swing by commentary to tell Don Callis that everything is JUST FINE between Bullet Club. Don Callis mentions that everyone “loves Kenny Omega. Kota Ibushi loves Kenny Omega.” Cody insists he loves him too.

During night two, Cody taunts Kota by blowing him kisses during the match. But his post-match comments are where he really tries to hurt Ibushi. Cody yells that Kenny doesn’t care about Kota Ibushi anymore, telling Ibushi that “He doesn’t want you. He doesn’t even want you. You’re nothing to him. Yesterday’s trash. Kenny doesn’t want you.” David Finlay tries to pull Kota away.

Ibushi challenges him to another match. Cody is delighted.

Later, Jay White versus Kenny Omega is for Kenny’s US title. Nick Jackson is following him to the ring to support his friend – Matt had to be helped out of the ring during the Bucks’ match earlier and he’s backstage recovering. Maybe Kenny is a little distracted during the match because of everything that’s been going on, or maybe the attack Jay White executed last night hurt Kenny more than we know, or maybe even Kenny just underestimated Jay White. But Jay White beats him.

Then out comes “Hangman” Adam Page and he wants a US title opportunity. Hangman is a Bullet Club member and a good friend of Kenny. Kenny’s outraged. Hangman should be on his side! Hangman shouldn’t challenge for the title right after Kenny lost – to Kenny, he’s being disrespected. He’s the leader of Bullet Club and here’s one of his followers disrespecting him. As Kenny and Hangman shove each other and argue, Jay White sneaks away.

Cody and Nick enter the ring. Cody is angry and telling Kenny to get over it. Nick, who is constantly portrayed as the peace-keeper in his friends, is on Kenny’s side and he’s trying to calm everyone down. But Kenny feels like he’s being outnumbered and he shoves everyone. Matt Jackson, with his back still hurting, comes down and tries to calm Kenny. Kenny shoves him hard and Matt clutches his back in agony.

The Elite stare at each other, hurt, and then Matt walks away from Kenny. Nick follows his brother, ignoring Kenny’s apologies. For the first time ever, the Young Bucks walk out on Kenny, leaving him alone in the ring. The Young Bucks love Kenny, they’ll go anywhere he goes, but they will always pick each other over anyone.

The other Bullet Club members follow, leaving Cody and Kenny alone in the ring. Cody is a snake. He’s too much of a coward to attack Kenny when he expects it. He fist-bumps Kenny and promises everything is water under the bridge, opening the ropes for Kenny to walk out. Kenny, emotionally and physically exhausted, is hit with a Cross-Rhodes. Cody cackles evilly. Hangman comes running out (the Bucks don’t) and Cody tells Hangman to take his chance. They plan on attacking Kenny now. And then–

Kota Ibushi is running to the ring. Cody and Hangman run like cowards. Coincidentally, as Ibushi stands in the ring, hovering protectively over Kenny’s body, the lights behind him extend in the shape of wings. Kenny’s guardian angel, saving him from the very guys Kenny betrayed him for. And then it’s just Kenny, still on the ground, and Kota standing at the ropes. Just like when Kenny saved Kota from Cody. But Kenny didn’t help Kota up, he turned and walked away. Here’s the difference.

It takes him a moment, but Kota turns around and tries to help Kenny get up.

Here’s the beautiful thing about Kenny and Kota. Kenny Omega has always felt like he had to prove himself to Kota Ibushi, ever since he first laid eyes on him in 2006. Kenny always felt like he had to prove to Ibushi that he deserved to be in the ring with him. So, when he was at his highest and Kota rejected him, Kenny thought he never would prove it to him. But Kenny never had to prove himself to Kota. Even now: Kenny is bruised, friendless, and lost his titles and his friends, and his leadership, but Kota loves him anyways. Kota wants him, even without all the shiny glory of being the Best Wrestler in the World. Kenny the person is more important to Kota than Kenny the wrestler.

Kenny, right now, can’t accept it. Ever prideful Kenny gets up on his own. Kota doesn’t pull his hand away. Kota begs, the crowd begs, for Kenny to take his hand. Kenny feels like he doesn’t deserve to.

Kota turns. Kenny starts sobbing. The pain of these three years apart is agonizing. The crowd continues to beg them to look at each other. Kenny Omega tore out his heart and left it in Kota Ibushi.

Kota Ibushi is driven by Kenny Omega’s heart. Kota Ibushi refuses to let Bullet Club members weaponize his feelings about Kenny. He won’t let Kenny do it, either. Kota forces Kenny to look at him… they’re overwhelmed at the moment.

For the first time in years, the Golden Lovers embrace in a wrestling ring. Red victory streamers rain from the ceiling, the men are crying, and the crowd is thrilled. The Golden Lovers have reunited. As Kenny tries to leave the ring again, Kota hugs him once more.

Photo credit: CagesideSeats

The next day, Tokyo Sports publishes an interview with Kenny. In it, Kenny says that the real Kenny is always at Kota’s side and admits that every time he said he wanted to face him in a ring, Kenny just wanted to stand with him. While Kota was off in WWE, Kenny was waiting for him to come home. “If we aren’t together, there’s no point. I want us to change the world together. I took belts with Bullet Club, did a lot, but that was all the job. Golden Lovers transcends wrestling. This is real life. As long as there was a chance for this to happen, I wasn’t going to say goodbye to NJPW.”

The story of the Golden Lovers is important to Kenny Omega as a character. If you are ever trying to analyze Kenny or talk about his motivations, not mentioning Kota and the Golden Lovers is ignoring a large part of how Kenny functions.

The story of the Golden Lovers and why they’re so important is harder to understand if you’re not LGBTQ+. For years, queer characters in wrestling were seen as a joke or not important – the stories aren’t serious and the characters aren’t serious; it’s all a big joke that doesn’t last very long. But the story of Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi, the story of two men who grew up worlds apart and managed to find each other and then constantly fighting to be together, is a beautifully crafted story by Kenny and Kota themselves. Kenny talks about how he knows this story is important to people because it’s important to Kenny and Kota. After all, they had to beg to team together in the first place, and then they had to beg for the story to continue to be told. At first, NJPW didn’t understand the importance of the Golden Lovers, they didn’t understand what was so important about this love story. The fact that they got to tell it on a global scale makes this love story between two men so beautiful. The Golden Lovers are the best love story told in professional wrestling.

However, as we’ve learned, the story of the Golden Lovers is also marked by tragedy. Despite making up with the Bucks after an emotionally grueling storyline where the Bucks were angry with Kenny for choosing someone over them, when they’ve done everything for him since they met; despite proving how good the Golden Lovers are by beating the Best Tag Team in the World; despite Kenny and the Bucks picking Kota Ibushi over Bullet Club, destiny would tear them apart again.

Kenny, the Bucks, Hangman, and Cody created All Elite Wrestling. As of writing this, Kota Ibushi has never appeared in AEW. Despite all his success in Japan, Kenny hadn’t won a title for a major promotion in North America until 2019. He didn’t even think he’d make it to America and had even made retirement plans in Japan. However, the birth of AEW changed his course. His desire to be the best can all be linked back to his desire to prove himself to Kota Ibushi. So now, years later in AEW, and far away from Ibushi, we’re seeing the evil, dark sides of Kenny return. He’s feeling inadequate again. But here’s the new problem he faces: not only do the fans now know how important Kota Ibushi is to Kenny, but other wrestlers also do too.

For a little while, it seemed like Kota gave Kenny his heart back. He was earnest and good, even when the Bucks were being egotistical. He and Hangman forgave each other and even held the tag titles together. But then the darkness came over him again and Don Callis encouraged the darkness. After Kenny and Hangman lost their tag titles, Kenny decided that Hangman wasn’t good enough to be in the Elite anymore and used Hangman’s personal demons against him. Kenny started slipping back into the Cleaner’s attitude: cold and calculating, only caring about himself.

Kenny recently held the AEW World Championship, AAA Mega Championship, and Impact World Championship all at the same time. He was declared the ‘Belt Collector’ and Don Callias proclaimed Kenny Omega the Best Wrestler in the World, even better than Kota Ibushi.

Kenny still cares about what Ibushi thinks – to the point that when Hangman brought up Kenny’s “old tag partner” in their recent feud for the AEW World Championship, Hangman used Kenny’s betrayal of Ibushi against him. Hangman argues to this very day, that Kenny fears that he isn’t good enough to be in a ring with guys like Ibushi. Even despite knowing that Kota loves him regardless. So that’s why he has to betray his new tag partners like he betrayed Hangman because it lets him think he is. Hangman taunts Kenny that he “once had another tag team partner who maybe you felt like you didn’t measure up to either.”

Before his match against Hangman for the title, a fan holds up a sign asking “What would Kota think?” Don Callias had brought up Kota Ibushi multiple times in the lead-up to the Hangman match. Even thousands of miles away, Kota Ibushi’s influence on Kenny Omega’s character is a defining point of his career. Kenny’s need to be the Best Wrestler in the World only matters if Kota Ibushi thinks he is. Whenever Kota isn’t near him, Kenny thinks that the only way he can prove it is by his accomplishments.

Kenny would eventually lose his titles, and he hasn’t wrestled since November 2021 due to injury. One has to wonder which version of Kenny we’ll get when he gets back: the Cleaner, the Belt Collector, or maybe in his time away, Kenny regained his heart.