Kenny Omega Says Okada is Best Wrester, But Not Best Performer

Prior to Kenny Omega defeating IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada at NJPW’s Dominion Event, he was interviewed by the official NJPW website. Below are the highlights from the interview:
On Kazuchika Okada’s dominant run as IWGP Heavyweight Champion: “As he made those defenses, one after another, after another, it came to a point where no one would just walk through the curtain and say, ‘I’m going to be the next challenger.’ He has done so much and beaten everyone so many times that he calls the shots! He makes the challenges, he makes the rules. That’s the situation we’re in right now.”
On taking the first fall in their two-out-of-three falls match: “I know the secret to this match, Okada, and the secret is that first fall. I won’t let you take it. So, if you’re thinking, ‘Hey, this is going to be a 15 minutes here, 10 minutes there, and a crazy stretch and we’re goin’ home!’ That’s not gonna happen. I am not going to give you any freebies. I’m not going to give you a first free fall, if I feel like I need a bit of a rest. You’re not getting the first fall. I’m going to take the first fall and control the pace.”

On Okada being the best wrestler, but referring to himself as the best performer in the business: “You may be the best wrestler on the planet and I’ll admit it, you are. You’re the best and it’s not even an opinion thing anymore, this is something that you’ve proven. But you can’t say you’re the best performer. That goes to me. And if we’re going to move this thing forward, if we’re gonna cause this revolution of professional wrestling and make this something worldwide and something cool. We can’t just have the best natural pro wrestler steering the ship. We need someone who captures the imagination. Who captures the heart. We need a performer and a showman, which is why I’m doing everything I can in my power to overtake you’re natural wrestling ability.”
You can check out the entire interview of Kenny Omega at NJPWWorld.com.