Impact Wrestling co-Executive Vice President Don Callis was recently a guest on Jim Ross'sĀ Ross ReportĀ and talked about current New Japan Pro Wrestling IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega.
On his work with Kenny Omega:
āIāve been on this journey with Kenny Omega since he was a 16 year old kid who I booked. I gave him his first break wrestling for the promotion I had in Winnipeg [Canada]. And his uncle, The Golden Sheik, who was an indie wrestler in Winnipeg helped train me in the [pro wrestling] business in 1989, so my roots with Kenny go back many years. Iāve been on this journey with him, and specifically since Iāve been in New Japan and we have a very close relationship. We talk about ideas, we do things, I helped put together the match between him and Chris [Jericho] for the Tokyo Dome, so to see Kenny, and how hard he works, and how seriously he takes this business, how he wants to change the business for the positive, to see that kind of manifest itself in this huge victory [over Kazuchika Okada], it was just such aā¦ I donāt knowā¦ euphoric, great feeling. Iām like, āyeah, in wrestling sometimes we get sāt right and we really got it right.'ā
On Omegaās status in the industry:
āWe all know heās a tremendous athlete, world class athlete, but where Kenny has really differentiated himself is in the storytelling aspect and the psychology. And, as we know, psychology is one of the hardest things to get down in this business. I think I still donāt have it to this day. And Kenny [has] just become a master at telling these great stories that make sense. Itās like when Bret Hart would do something in the first minute of the match and then at the 20-minute mark, youād be able to call back to it and it was all part of his strategy and his storytelling. Kennyās like that, but with Kenny, those callbacks go back a year, a year-and-a-half, and he [has] just become such a compelling guy. He really is, in my view, I call him a revolutionary because he is all about changing the business for the better. Heās not a mark for any particular place or any particular idea of a big money contract. He really wants to make his mark on the wrestling business. This is not a guy who would cheat wrestling just because. Heās doing it because he wants to impact change both in wrestling and I think he has social message, as well, to put out there. He really is unique. I compare him to Prince in terms of just being totally super-skilled and totally with a different agenda than everyone else.ā
On Omega possibly appearing on Impact:
āI kind of say, ānever say āneverā and I think that one of the things that weāve been doing under Ed Nordholm here at Impact is breaking some longstanding paradigms of pro wrestling. The intellectual property stuff that weāve talked about before, but also weāve been working with multiple people now and now recently announced by Chris Jericho and I know [Ross] will be on that cruise, so thatāll be cool, get to have a beer together. Itās going to be Impact and Ring Of Honor on the same cruise ship, so thereās some stuff thatās probably going to happen and I donāt think you can have those talents in a closed environment like that, so we are working, in a sense if you take that, with Ring Of Honor right now. Weāve got Taiji Ishimori coming in for our pay-per-view and our TV in July. The Bone Soldier just started with New Japan, so weāll see what happens. How many people wouldāve thought that Chris Jericho wouldāve headlined the Tokyo Dome with New Japan Pro-Wrestling? I was so sheepish when I pitched it to him because he always told me, āI will never work for anyone except Vince McMahon and I have a deep respect for Vince.ā Obviously, he took Vince into consideration. Vince is the first guy he told about it. Nevertheless, it shocked me that Chris was on a New Japan show, so Iāve learned to say, ānever say āneverā in this business.ā
Follow us on X @WNSource
Follow us on Instagram & THREADS
LIKE us on Facebook
ā” News tip? Email ben@wrestlingnewssource.com