THE term “dream match” is bandied about a great deal in pro wrestling, from the independent scene to the great and good on the global stage.
This week New Japan Pro Wrestling had a stab at one of its own in announcing that inaugural US Champion Kenny Omega will take on WWE-standout Chris Jericho on January 4 in Tokyo at its Wrestle Kingdom event.
WWE were swift to respond with the first ever WWE title switch in the UK and the first on Smackdown since 2003 in Manchester on Tuesday night, which leaves us with a mouthwatering clash between AJ Styles and Brock Lesnar to savour next weekend at Survivor Series. More on that next week in advance of the event.
Interestingly and definitely worthy of a certain smugness by anyone from the land of the maple leaf, both participants are proud Canadians and will have the eyes of the world watching come bell time.
Omega has been the hottest property outside of WWE for a calendar year at least, choosing to make his name in New Japan, PWG and Ring of Honour as the leader of the Bullet Club faction; his name virtually guarantees a sell-out in the States among hardcore fans.
His trio of matches against Kazuchika Okada have raised the bar for everyone and the general standard of his work is second to none as we sit here in November 2017.
Omega, rather like Finn Balor (Prince Devitt) and AJ Styles before him, is sitting astride the coolest faction in pro wrestling. Bullet Club merchandise can be generally seen not only at wrestling shows but in the street or supermarket everywhere these days. A slave to fashion, FT owns a T-shirt or two but in the interests of maintaining credibility, mine is from the Prince Devitt era!
The assumption that Omega will inevitably end up back in WWE at some point is reasonable but, for now, the man is making money and adding to his canon of top-level in-ring work every time he steps through the curtain, so if it ain’t broke, as the saying goes…
His match against one of the all-time greats in Jericho will certainly be a perfect audition.
There is something ethereal, too, in that Jericho is considered the “WWE” wrestler here, the elder statesman stepping outside his comfort zone to prove he is the “Alpha” to Kenny’s “Omega” as he himself said in the video announcing the bout.
Jericho himself routinely becomes a free agent of sorts in his regular breaks from WWE to concentrate on his band Fozzy but always goes back to Vince and Co, knowing full well which side his particularly tasty slice of bread is buttered.
Arguably, his work too has been the finest of his career in his last run with Kevin Owens, certainly in terms of entertainment. And for anyone doubting whether Jericho can still get it done in the ring, here is the perfect opportunity for him to prove any naysayers wrong.
Jericho, of course, had a stint in Japan at the outset of his glittering career in the nineties, so it’s a welcome reprise on all fronts, attached with what appears to be a perfect blend of symmetry and drawing power.
New Japan will be hoping to deliver significant numbers on their New Japan World streaming service, which could do with a boost by all accounts, despite the outstanding quality of the matches available.