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Exclusive: Gabe Kidd On NJPW Backstage Fight With AEW's Kenny Omega - "I Will End You, Kenny"

"The Mad Man" gives his authentic thoughts on his backstage incident with AEW's Kenny Omega at NJPW Power Struggle

Sid Pullar III

njpw1972.com

Gabe Kidd has made a name for himself in NJPW as one of the most unhinged and aggressive personalities in the company today.

Earning the nickname of "The Mad Man," the current NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion has become known for violent outbursts of rage. So, it was not much of a surprise when he decided to confront AEW star and former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega backstage at the Power Struggle event on November 4th after their exchanges on social media.

More recently, Omega did an interview with New Japan Pro Wrestling where he said Kidd's name wrong while calling out some of the young stars of the promotion before his recent return.

"Listen, I went to him backstage. I didn't try to get into any of this stuff happening." Kidd told The Takedown. "I knew where he was going to be after he got off the mic, I knew where he was gonna be, so I waited for him and those little rats of f***ing press staff, they were waiting around the corner, they heard us talking."

"I was just trying to have a conversation with him, but I was pissed. Listen, I said this to him before anything, before pro wrestling, I'm a man, a very mad one, so if you disrespect me like that, I hate when these people like MJF and Kenny, they try to act like they don't know what my name is because they're not cool and they try to act cool in front of these other people, wrestling fans, who are also not cool. It's just a bunch of not cool people trying to act cool and it ain't a good look, you get slapped for that where I'm from. So, I was just trying to have a conversation with him what happened, happened."

On November 7, Fightful's Sean Ross released a video sent to the outlet of Kidd's altercation with Omega and the words exchanged between the two prior to the physical encounter.

"So, I think you know my phone's been blowing up the past hour, everyone, all these little nerds on the internet, they're like, 'who's this guy, why is he stepping to the GOAT?' I don't even care about any you little nerds, I don't even care what you think of this guy, you worship this man and I slapped the s**t outta him backstage after he got rude. So, you can't say anything to me, this guy you worship got bitched out by me. That's all I got to say on that."

Kidd's issues with Omega dates back to a back-and-forth Twitter exchange the two men had during this past summer's NJPW G1 Climax 34 tournament, where the former AEW World Champion called out the new stars in the promotion.

"I don't care if you want to talk s**t backstage, put it up. I saw him talking s**t on Twitter during the G1, saying 'go win the G1 maybe I'll give you the Kenny Omega touch.' I don't need no touch from anyone, I've got it, I am the one, I am the maddest. Nobody brings a pro wrestling experience like me, I am violent, destructive and all of that. All these words, all of these aggressive words you can think of, that is me, that is my fighting style, that's what I stand for."

Following his backstage fight with Kidd, Kenny Omega spoke with Tokyo Sports, calling the NJPW star's actions "unprofessional." Making reference to the infamous "Brawl Out" backstage incident from AEW All Out 2022, Omega compared Kidd to current WWE star CM Punk, referring to him as "that other guy."

"What I did find funny is he ran from the building immediately, ran to Tokyo Sports, said I pushed him and took a fighting stance and he got the first hit in. Well if you did, I didn't feel shit because everyone heard that slap I gave you in that video."

"Listen, I don't care about any of those other guys, any of those stories." Kidd said. "You saw the video of Jack Perry and 'he who must not be named, little Phil' we'll call him? Little Phil, It was the most embarrassing thing I ever seen and they advertised it to air on TV, that was the most bonkers thing I ever seen in my life. I've seen better scraps at nursery, it was embarrassing, so I don't care if he compared it to that."

All Elite Wrestling garnered criticism in April 2024 when they decided to air the footage of CM Punk's backstage altercation with Jack Perry from All In London 2023 on AEW Dynamite. That backstage incident led to Perry being suspended and Punk's subsequent firing from the company.

"I'll tell you what that guy could not hit him as hard as I did cause you got slapped and got your ass double legged through a bunch of chairs. So, I don't care about any of those other people. He disrespected me and he got dealt with, to me, that's all I care about." Kidd said in reference to Omega.

Before starting All Elite Wrestling alongside Cody Rhodes, The Young Bucks and Tony Khan, Omega became a mainstream star in NJPW as the company's top foreigh talent.

Through critically acclaimed bouts against Kazuchika Okada and Chris Jericho, "The Cleaner" became one of the most beloved gaijin stars to compete in the promotion. This fact isn't lost on Gabe Kidd, who feels Omega abandoned NJPW to start AEW.

"You left New Japan and these people love you, you left New Japan, you abandoned it to create this new company and now you want to come back in here like you don't have a job elsewhere. You came back here because you know New Japan is the best, you came back here because you know New Japan is number one."

During Omega's in-ring promo at NJPW Power Struggle, he teased his return to the ring after being out of action since December 2023 at Wrestle Dynasty on January 5th. The event will be co-promotional with stars from AEW, NJPW, STARDOM, CMLL and ROH.

While many New Japan stars might want to get this match with "The Best Bout Machine" at the Tokyo Dome, the company seems to have only one option after Power Struggle. After his backstage encounter with the AEW star, Kidd has officially stated that he has his sights set on the huge Wrestle Dynasty show to settle this score with Omega once and for all.

"So, don't talk to me about 'oh who's gonna step up and have a match with me?' I slapped the s**t outta you backstage, what you think I can do in front of 50,000 people in the Tokyo Dome? I will end you, Kenny. So of course I'm down for that match on January 5th, I ain't thinking about anything else, it's up to that little bitch whether he accepts it or not."

Gabe Kidd will defend the NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship against Kosei Fujita in the main event of NJPW Fighting Spirit Unleashed from Lowell, Massachusetts this Friday, November 8th. Fans can watch the show at njpwworld.com and Triller TV.

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Published
Sid Pullar III
SID PULLAR III

Sid Pullar III, born and raised in New York, is a lifelong pro wrestling fan who fell in love with the business when stars like Randy Savage, Ric Flair and Sting captured his imagination. In 2017, he started the Tru Heel Heat Wrestling podcast. Then in 2020, he began his writing for Sportskeeda Wrestling before moving to WrestleTalk in 2021. He is looking to capture his three decades worth of pro wrestling knowledge through his pieces and interviewing various stars.

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