In the grand circus of wrestling, where egos collide and drama thrives, STARDOM founder Rossy Ogawa has taken the center ring to respond to AEW EVP Kenny Omega’s recent comments. Omega, during a Twitch stream in April, threw shade at Ogawa, questioning his trustworthiness and allegedly blocking STARDOM’s potential partnership with AEW—a sentiment even AEW head honcho Tony Khan has echoed. Well, Ogawa isn’t taking this lying down.
Speaking to “Sports Graphic Number,” Ogawa minced no words. “People said that [I] was getting in the way with the AEW thing… But that’s not true,” Ogawa declared, with the defiance of a man who won’t let a small thing like the truth get in his way. “Kenny Omega is attacking me over there, saying things that aren’t true, but that’s defamation… Many people make various statements, but there are a lot of false statements.”
Omega had hinted darkly that there were those in Japan who could back up his claims, but like a wrestler teasing a finishing move, he stopped short of making definitive allegations. Instead, he alluded to Ogawa’s hiring policy and advised caution in dealing with him, leaving fans to wonder if they were watching wrestling or a soap opera.
Ogawa, ever the showman, shrugged off the negative comments as the cost of fame but took particular offense at the idea that WWE fans might have pre-conceived notions about him based on what he dismisses as “imagined scenarios.” He was notably present at “WWE NXT” Stand & Deliver, rubbing elbows with the likes of William Regal, and showcased alongside Giulia—who’s poised to join WWE after wrapping up her commitments with Ogawa’s new promotion, Marigold, launched in April.
The wrestling world is left in suspense, waiting to see if this war of words will escalate into an in-ring confrontation. One thing’s for sure: when it comes to wrestling drama, the ring isn’t just for wrestling anymore.