Kenny Omega opens up about his time in WWE’s developmental system

Kenny Omega did an interview with monthlypuroresu.com and talked about being part of WWE’s developmental system and deciding to wrestle in Japan instead…

Monthly Puroresu: “In past interviews you’ve mentioned meeting with Kenta Kobashi and Naomichi Marufuji, and all these guys early on when you went over there. But what was that reaction or the light bulb moment that made you think, ‘I’m going to go do this. I’m going to make it happen.’ What made you think, ‘I’ve got what it takes to go hang with these guys?’

Kenny Omega: “I never really did think that I had what it took. But the reason I went to the Harley Race camp in Elgin, Missouri was because it was for an opportunity to be implemented into the dojo system of Pro-Wrestling NOAH. So I was willing to kind of forget everything I’d learned up to that point and start as a young boy in their dojo system. That was always the plan. In the end, I was selected by Johnny Ace to go to WWE instead. And I thought, ‘Well, this is a different kind of opportunity, and maybe this is kind of where my destiny is guiding me towards, so I’m not going to ignore it.’ And it was a great opportunity, even though it’s different from where I thought I would end up being.”

“I did go into the WWE developmental system, Deep South Wrestling at the time, and it wasn’t for me. At that point I had thought maybe wrestling isn’t for me because I was thinking at the highest level, when it becomes more of a business rather than a passion. Maybe I’m not the businessman that I thought that I was, maybe I was never meant to be at the highest level. Things are meant to be micromanaged. Maybe it isn’t what made me fall in love with wrestling to begin with.”

Monthly Puroresu: “You almost felt unsure of yourself. As we all know, even back then as a talent, you felt unsure of yourself going over there.”

Kenny Omega: “Right. I’ve understood myself going there. I felt unsure of my understanding of the professional wrestling business. I had thought some of the greatest talents, what made them successful was because they were so unique and special athletes in their own way and were in charge of their own character. And all of their wonderful ideas and all of these iconic moments in professional wrestling – you think that they came up with them all. And I think now looking back, I’m sure they did.”

“But when you go into the developmental system, at least it’s sort of drilled into you, ‘No, you’re not your own person. You’re our person! And we own you! And you do what we tell you to do! You say what we want you to say. And If you think that you should say something else or do something else, guess what, you’re wrong!'”