#piningera

because of the different amount of points they’ve accrued, Kenny has to beat Naito to advance to the finals, but Naito only needs a tie. All he has to do is run out the clock. Naito is also entering with the majority of fan support (something that Kenny doesn’t want to care about, but v much does). so already the match is set up with kenny as the underdog

and that is how the match itself plays out too, Kenny continually throwing his body into peril (as he says later, not caring about injury or safety), putting everything he has into winning this, desperately fighting through Naito’s viciously targeted attacks on Kenny’s injured knee

and you can hear the crowd responding to the story, being won over during the match by Kenny’s heart, desperation, and fighting spirit. Kenny even comments on it in his post match promo

[ID: screenshot of Kenny saying “You know, as this match went on and got more and more physical I started to notice some changes. Changes in the way you felt about me, and changes in the way I felt about you.” End ID.]

But he rejects them. He claims they were actually supporting Naito the whole time and only came to his side when he won. Further proof of what he has already come to suspect, that in the eyes of others his worth only comes from his success

[ID: gif of the promo. Kenny is pointing out at the crowd and saying “What kind of home cheers for Naito?! I gave you everything! I gave you my heart! I gave you my soul!” End ID]

his ambition, his decision to cut himself off from others, those are the things giving him the strength to win, not the fans’ love

[ID: screenshot from OnTheRoad #1 Interview LINK. Kenny is in an airport saying “We thrive on pressure, so putting the added pressure on us, having those feelings of emptiness, loneliness, it makes us stronger.” End ID]

in the car to the airport after the G1 finals Kenny tells Naomi that he deliberately chooses to speak only in English to create a disconnect between himself and the fans, because he doesn’t want to “feel passion towards anything but my wrestling. When I start to care too much about people I find that my performance suffers. I think that was my problem when I wrestled in the juniors.” [LINK]

You see, it was his heart that was always the problem. Cutting it out was the right choice.

and he knows it’s coming with a cost, that it’s damaging him in a fundamental way (the truth of that belief is written into his gear), but he sees the trade off as worth it. As he says over and over again in interviews from this time: Failure is not an option.

[ID: screenshot of Kenny in the same airport saying “We remember what what we do, we’re doing for them [family, friends ‘old training partners’], as much as we’re doing it for ourselves. So it doesn’t make failure an option.” End ID]

Only success can secure his legacy as a legend in japan and only success can bring Kota back to him.

THE G1 FINALS - August 14, 2016 - [Official LINK, Unofficial LINK]

listen. listen. do yourself a favor and watch this match. just watch it. like yes the okada matches are incredible off the charts matches but this match with goto is just so fun, the way the crowd loves kenny so much that they boo goto (who has done nothing wrong!!!!) but kenny keeps doing Heel things so they keep turning against him and then getting immediately won over again. all the little fun cheating shit he does, all the fake outs, and just his energy, the perfect pace of the match, the way he embodies his character’s shitty hearted determination that’s covering up golden hearted fighting spirit. how much he wants the crowd to love him and hates them for making him want it

[ID: two gifs side by side. In the first Kenny rakes Goto’s eyes, and in the second, which takes place immediately afterwards he blows a furious kiss to the booing crowd. End ID]

and then it’s all capped off with the lead up to the finish.

Kenny uses the finishers of three other wrestlers, two of Kota’s (golden bomb, phoenix splash)

[ID: two gifs side by side of Kenny doing Kota’s moves. End ID]

one of devitt’s (bloody sunday), and one of aj’s (styles clash)

he’s referencing them, these wrestlers who are such huge parts of his past (devitt was his first opponent in njpw and founded the bullet club that kenny now leads, aj was his leader who he betrayed, and kota is everything)

he references them and he surpasses them. all these men who left and went west, these past rivals, their moves can’t win this fight, only his can

[ID: in the first gif Kenny hits the one winged angel on Goto. in the second after the 3 count the audience jumps to their feet and cheers as Kenny collapses. End ID]

(after all, only one man has ever kicked out of the one winged angel, and he is an ocean away)

In his victory speech Kenny says that he hopes this match, and all his g1 matches, will be inspiration to his fellow wrestlers, especially those in Orlando (where Kota is, tho he is not the only one Kenny is speaking to) who he knows are watching

at the very end, briefly, furiously won over by the crowd’s overwhelming support he switches to Japanese and declares that: “Japan is my home. NJPW is my home. I will never go “there” [WWE]” [full speech and translation here: LINK]

the next day, on his way to the airport NJPW’s translator Naomi interviews him in the car [LINK, unfortunately it’s not on youtube]

[ID: Kenny in a car saying: “It felt like magic, like I was in a magical world where wrestling felt good and there was no pain. It was new to me. And like I said, I still can't understand it. Maybe the only other time I felt that was when I was a tag team with an old partner of mine.”]

for a brief moment he is reminded that wrestling can be more than just pain and bottomless ambition, it can be about joy too. that’s what wrestling used to be like for him

[ID: gif from the G1 finals celebration. Kenny has his hands held up and he looks elated but also in pain. End ID]

And maybe some of that joy comes from his belief that finally, finally he has done it. Finally he has proved to Kota that he is good enough to come back for

[ID: Kenny is sitting in front of a white background, clearly on a zoom call. He’s looking at the camera and saying “After I won the G1, I felt for sure you would come back to me. End ID LINK]

but, whatever Kenny believes, Kota has never been waiting for Kenny to become “good enough”

AUGUST 15, 2016 - Tokyo Sports writes about Kenny’s incredible victory in the G1 Climax, noting Kenny’s use of Kota’s moves during the match. [LINK]

the article says that although the lovers have grown apart, “deep in his heart, Kenny always cares about Ibushi. Ibushi is currently competing in the WWE Cruiserweight Classic tournament. According to Michael Nakazawa, who is accompanying Ibushi in the US, Kenny asked him to "please protect Ibushi if he is about to sign a contract that would negatively affect Ibushi."” [translation by my friend Takahiro]

the article even interviews Kota and he tells them:

“I've two messages for him. First, about New Japan being the best company in the world, well I'm still evolving, and I'm still giving it my all. Second, I kind of get you. You're... lonely, aren't you. Well I'm right here waiting.” -Kota Ibushi [Chris Charlton translation - LINK]

Kenny responds August 28, 2016 (or at least, this is the date Chris Charlton translates it)

"There are precious few people that can change the face of pro wrestling. It may even just be the two of us. So I'm going to stay here in New Japan, doing my best and waiting for him. (At the G1 finals) I finally surpassed him. I was chasing Ibushi for eight years and finally outgrew him. I hope that's inspiration for him, right? It's not like I could go to WWE and be a junior, there's no point in that." - Kenny Omega [Chris Charlton translation - LINK]

Kota loses the CWC in the semi-finals, but he decides to stick around WWE for a little while longer, taking part in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic (Oct-Nov 2016)

[ID: Kota and TJ Perkins are getting interviewed backstage at NXT. In the first gif TJ says “Kota Ibushi’s elite.” in the second we see Kota’s reaction, his eyebrows go up and he fights off a smile. End ID]

(look at Kota trying not to smile)

and Kenny is clearly paying close attention to Kota’s activities

a fan asks (Oct 26, 2016) Kenny what he thinks about his ex dabbing (it used to be TJ’s thing, who he was tagging with) and Kenny replies “embarrassing.”

and then in September we get this:

[ID: two screenshots from twitter. Kenny tweets: “My moves, my image, my ex, and now my music...? Was it something I said?” with a smirk emoji. naaahmooste replies “...did you just refer to Kota as your ex?” and kenny replies “don’t say his name...” End ID]

Around this time Kenny, the Bucks, and Adam Cole also have a live Q&A on their BTE channel [LINK (thank you nonie!)

Kota is brought up a few times

Someone asks if Kenny will ever reunite with Kota, and he says “Look, I don’t even know that guy anymore, okay?” though he admits to following the CWC to see how he would do. Nick suggests that Kenny still has a connection with Kota (”obviously”) and Kenny says he doesn’t want to talk about it.

and then again later:

[ID: three gifs. Kenny, the bucks. and Adam are in a hotel room looking at the computer/camera. Matt says: “People love asking about Ibushi! Someone [asked about adding Ibushi to the Elite]. Ibushi is-” Nick interrupts saying “He’s an elite guy.” Matt says: “-an elite wrestler.” He looks at Kenny ans says “I’ll leave it at that.” He and Kenny laugh and Kenny shakes his head. End ID]

and Nick mentions that his dream match is Young Bucks vs the Golden Lovers

[ID: two gifs from the same place. Nick says “Oh I’ve got one. Young Bucks vs Ibushi and Kenny. Which might never happen.” the others oooh appreciatively. Nicks says “It might.” End ID]

(nick i have good news and i have bad news...)

Kenny didn't sell his soul, carve out his own heart, and get saddled with a ring name like “The Cleaner” just so he could be some lowly underling. Now that he’s had a chance to feel the full breadth and depth of his own ambition, he’s come to believe that he is The Best Wrestler in the World and he’s ready to prove it. Who the hell is AJ Styles anyway?

[ID: Screenshot from the documentary Second Home. Kenny is saying: "I can finally take my position as the rightful leader. And yes I say the rightful, I should have always been the leader" End ID]

Kenny was just holding himself back out of some kind of misplaced loyalty to AJ

[ID: Gif of Kenny's promo after betraying AJ, he says: "While I struggled! While I starved! Forcing myself to be a junior!" End ID]

Of course he’s been a True heavyweight all along, only faking being a junior to accommodate AJ’s ego. But no longer. He has to reach as far as possible and AJ’s in his way

This moment is also the birth of The Elite (a group comprised of Kenny and the Bucks, separate from and Above the rest of the bullet club, the rest of njpw and roh, and the rest of wrestlers generally)

[ID: picture of Kenny posing over AJ’s slumped body while the bucks do their pose on their side of him. I’m not sure it’s intentional but it mirrors the pose Devitt did when BC beat Kenny in the super juniors. End ID]

When we next see Kenny his gear has changed

until now heel!Kenny has been wearing black trunks with two golden wings on the back framing the bullet club logo

[ID: image of the trunks described above]

but heavyweight!Kenny’s got full length pants!

[ID: screenshots of Kenny’s entrance, his pants are swirly pinks and black, with blue fringe down the sides, Bucks are with him wearing colorful pants with fringe at the bottom. End ID]

and they are multi-purpose

1. Kenny irl wasn’t especially interested in the silent/cold/calculating “badass” character njpw gave him, these new pants are colorful and a bit silly, asserting his own interpretation of his character over the company’s (kind of like with the broom shtick)

2. they kind of match the Young Bucks’ gear (colorful and with fringe), signaling their connection

3. these pants become Kenny’s Not A Serious Match gear, he only wears them when he’s in matches that he sees as Unimportant, and for those matches he also keeps his shirt on. So they can be used to demonstrate his contempt for his opponents (wearing them even in title matches against those he sees as unworthy etc.)

[ID: two gifs of Kenny speaking to the camera in a ring. in the first he says: “No black tights today! We keepin’ this shirt on! Not a big match.” End ID]

We see his Serious Match pants for the first time a little later, in a tag match against Tanahashi. it’s his first match as a heavyweight against someone who matters, and it’s the lead up to their IC title match

On this new gear are two wings, one is complete and whole, made of silver and gold feathers

[ID: the wing described above. End ID]

the other is skeletal and almost completely bare except for a few lone feathers still clinging to the bones

[ID: the wing described above. End ID]

(how dramatic is that. to put your broken heart on your gear and only wear it to important events in your life)

Kenny and Tana’s IC title match is really, really fun (Feb 14, 2016 - Official LINK, Unofficial LINK) there is some ridiculous, elaborate cheating involving the bucks, it’s so funny that one of the japanese commentators actually bursts out laughing

(this isn’t important but Red Shoes DOES kick at the young bucks in this match and i love him)

[ID: gif from the match. Kenny is laying near the edge of the ring while the bucks spray Cold Spray on his knee. Red Shoes sees them and runs over, sticking his leg through the ropes to kick at them. End ID]

Kenny wins

it’s a huge moment, not only because it’s his first heavyweight title (something Kota was never able to achieve) but also because he wins it from Hiroshi Tanahashi, the Ace of NJPW, one of the Big Three wrestlers of NJPW, and Kota’s wrestling god

[ID: picture of Kenny’s post-match promo, saying “ You have a new valentine. You have a new hero. You have a new god! You will love me!” End ID]

NJPW makes a short documentary called Second Home [April 2016 - Official LINK, Unofficial LINK] about Kenny as new IC champ. In it they go to the location of his first match against Kota, and it’s clear that even now, in this moment of triumph, Kenny is still mourning Kota’s absence

[ID: two gifs of Kenny from the documentary Second Home. He says: “Back then [...] he was the real Golden Star, he had everythinggg in the palm of his hands, he was the future, and that day [their first match] I just wasn’t good enough. Boy, things have changed. Really changed.” he looks wistful. End ID]

He’s openly wondering where Kota could be, making little comments that seem to simultaneously plead for Kota to come back and dare him to

“I thought from then [their first match] I had found my arch-nemesis. My rival. And then...as time went on, we became friends. Best friends. But alas... It's a new day. It's a new year. Everything's completely different. I'm the intercontinental champion and Ibushi is nowhere to be found. Where is he? I don't know. So will there ever be a match? I don't know. Maybe not. Maybe he's not in my league anymore. He's just old feelings. You know, like when you miss your ex-girlfriend. It's kind of like that. Just something that stays with you in your heart.” - Kenny in Second Home

Kenny may not know where in the world Kota has gone off to, but he’s about to find out

during the last few months Kota has been enjoying his time being a freelancer on the indies, wrestling as a representative of “the Ibushi Pro Wrestling Research Institute” and now his wanderings have taken him all the way to WWE

[ID: Screenshot of WWE’s article with the headline “Kota Ibushi shows up at NXT TakeOver: Dallas” with a picture of Kota in the crowd. End ID]

in June 2016 Kota is announced as an entrant in WWE’s Cruiserweight Classic tournament

[ID: Kota stands in the middle of the CWC ring, wearing a CWC shirt (part of the parade of cruiserweights). End ID]

(Kenny is unimpressed)

“For him to do that, be a junior in WWE, isn't that embarrassing? I can do so much more here (in New Japan)." - Kenny (translation by Chris Charlton)

(wouldn’t you rather be here, Kota? In NJPW? With me? Being a heavyweight? With me?)

and while Kota tests out the waters in America, Kenny gets ready to participate in his first ever G1 Climax

Kota keeps his composure pretty well, but Kenny.. he tries his best to keep a poker face, but he just can’t. idk how to talk about the way he looks at Kota. He looks just incredibly soft. and he can’t keep from smiling

[ID: screenshot of Kenny on the show, smiling. End ID]

(Full clip here: LINK, and here’s Mithen’s gifset of it with translation: LINK)

when asked about Kenny, Kota says:

“I've battled a lot of different wrestlers, but Kenny's speed and power are truly spectacular. His stamina is incredible. Right now he's kind of a bad guy, so...I'd like to fight him.” [Mithen translation]

afterwards Kenny tweets this [LINK]

[ID: twitter screenshot. Kenny tweeted: “Even after so long,I never forgot about you.I had so much I wanted to say - so much to tell you. Maybe in the ring.” End ID]

and Kota replies (”Here we go/let’s go” machine translation)

but this isn’t Kota’s Return To Japan. He’s still living his best life traveling the world, doing Kota Ibushi Things

[ID: two gifs. In the first Kota moonsaults off of a parked car. in the second Kota is standing on a parked car, he yells to the crowd and then shoots a firework at his own chest. End ID]

I forgot to mention this earlier but Kota’s gear throughout his entire walkabout has had a white skeletal wing on the right hip (Kenny’s own skeletal wing is on the left side of his gear)

[ID: picture of the gear described above. End ID]

(Picture from Golden Lovers Scholar BreadClubRising’s post about Kota’s wing gear!!)

while he’s in England for the match giffed above he gets interviewed again, this time he says:

”I would like to team with him [Kenny] again. But I would like to wrestle him again too. I know I must face him again. If it happens, it would possibly be the best match in the world.” - Kota LINK

despite Kenny’s betrayal, Kota can still picture a future in which they tag together again, and he still wants that future. but it’s not the only thing he wants

in the past Kota has called Kenny his favorite opponent, said he changed the way Kota thinks about wrestling (LINK)

a few months after Kenny’s return to NJPW, Okada challenges him to a rematch (May 3, 2017 - LINK)

[ID: gif of Kenny and Okada looking challengingly at each other in the ring End ID]

He wants a challenger whose worldwide popularity will bring attention to NJPW, and I think there’s a question in the back of his mind about whether he can beat Kenny twice

[ID: screenshot of Okada saying: “But the biggest reason [I wanted to challenge Kenny] was because I wanted to test myself with a tough match.” End ID LINK]

the difference between the lead up to WK11 and the lead up to Dominion is intentionally striking.

In the last tag before Dominion, Kenny puts Okada up on his shoulders (teasing one-wing angeling him through a table) just like he did months before…and then he let’s him down. Just to show us that he’s changed.

afterwards he says

[ID: two gifs. in the first Kenny is in the ring and says: “I want to beat you, Okada, at 100%. One on one. Fair and square.” in the second Kenny is at post-match comments and says “Because beating you at your best means that I not only beat the Shining Golden Boy of NJPW but I beat this entire motherfucking company.” End ID LINK]

he’d been hoping all this time that if he just Succeeds Hard Enough, Kota will come back to him

[ID: Kenny in the zoom interview saying “After I had the greatest match of all time at the Tokyo Dome, something you could never do, I thought you’d come back to me.” End ID LINK]

but he hasn’t

and maybe that’s because Kenny’s been cheating. what’s the point in saying “I’m doing something you could never do” when he’s not actually doing it the way Kota would have?

how can he say he’s The Best, when he’s not beating people fair and square?

in this rematch, he wants to do something that no one has done before

[ID: two screenshots of Kenny in an interview, he says: “No one has been able to beat you for the title without interference. Yeah, AJ did it, he was smart. He used Yujiro. Naito did it. He’s smart too. He used Sanada. Maybe I’m not that smart, Okada, but I want to beat you...and I want to do it by myself. And I want to do it with you, Okada, at 100%.” End ID LINK]

(I do need to point out that yes, Kenny is wearing a choker with a GIANT “I” pendant in this interview)

(I don’t know what to say about it. If you don’t already know they’re in love idk how you made it this far)

DOMINION 2017 [Official LINK]

Kenny’s gear is Samurai inspired (paying tribute to Osaka castle, and maybe also his decision to stay in Japan and change in outlook)

(Okada’s gear has also changed, becoming darker. while Kenny is beginning his first tentative steps on the path to a face turn, Okada is headed the other way at the same pace)

[ID: gif of Kenny and the bucks entering together, kenny in front bucks back a pace and on either side. End ID]

the bucks are there with Kenny, as always, pouring their love and faith and support into seconding him in his big matches

they didn’t interfere in the WK11 match (apart from setting up the table that Okada brought out or giving Kenny water), but this time around they are determinedly, furiously following Red Shoes’ rules to the letter. When Red Shoes says they can’t give Kenny water, they complain but they pull back

[ID: gif. The bucks jump up and down and yell at Red Shoes while Okada sets up the illegal table behind him. End ID]

when Okada pulls out a table again and starts setting it up, the bucks shout their hearts out about how unfair it is (they’re not allowed to cheat, moved only by the pure unselfish love in their hearts, and here’s okada cheating in front of their faces?!) but they stay back

[ID: two pictures of Nick having aggressive body language at Okada. End ID]

(Nick wants to fight Okada and protect his friend so badly throughout this match it’s very sweet)

and there’s a moment in this match that highlights the bucks’ relationship with Kenny in stark contrast to his relationship with the rest of their stable

a member of bullet club (we’ll get to him later :D) comes out to try to throw in the towel on Kenny’s behalf, claiming he’s too exhausted to continue. the bucks, in all their unshakeable faith and love, stop him.

[ID: gif of Cody and BC standing on the entrance ramp while the bucks block their path to the ring. Cody and Tama say: “LOOK AT HIM!” and Nick yells: “HE’S GOT THIS! HE’S GOT THIS!” End ID]

and the BC members spend the rest of the match surrounding the ring, not interfering, but watching, wincing, hoping (making you believe, from a meta pov, that their presence means Kenny will win this)

Kenny hits Okada with the One Winged Angel, and Okada gets a rope break

[ID: screenshot of Okada’s foot over the bottom rope while Kenny’s holding him upside down for the pin. Red Shoes sticks his leg under the rope to demonstrate that it was a rope break. Kenny looks horrified. End ID]

at the end of the 60 minute time limit, they’re both so exhausted they can barely stand.

[ID: screen shot of Kenny on his back eyes closed. Okada is in the middle of trying to crawl to cover him, face down on the mat. End ID]

Kenny still can’t beat Okada, but this time Okada can’t beat him either

it’s a tie and Okada retains

the bucks carry Kenny out

[ID: gif of the bucks holding Kenny up with his arms around their shoulders. End ID]

the entire match the fans in Osaka were supporting Kenny, stamping their feet and shouting for him during every pin attempt, and before he leaves Kenny takes a moment to hear them

[ID: three gifs. in the first kenny turns back toward the ring while Nick says: “They love you. They love you.” in the second and third Kenny looks up, hearing their cheering and chants of his name and his face crumples in pain and he shakes his head. End ID]

but he doesn’t think he deserves their love

Kenny has believed for a long time now that his only worth, his only value comes from his wrestling and success, and he expects everyone else in his life to value him that way too

He goes 60 minutes with Okada, gets closer to beating him than anyone before, and his immediate reaction?

“It's so funny I thought it was my time. I really did. I thought it was my time tonight. I did everything I could. I said so many bad things about you, Okada. I really did. And even if they were all true, I couldn't beat you. I couldn't beat you... until I'm ready I will stay in NJPW and fight my way from the bottom... thank you for believing in me. Thank you, Young Bucks. Thank you, Bullet Club. I failed you as a leader.” - Kenny post-match comments

[ID: gif of Kenny sprawled on the floor for post-match comments. the bucks icing his neck. He looks exhausted and says: “I failed you as a leader.” Nick says “No, no. Don’t say that.” and Matt says: “It was a hell of a match, dude. You didn’t lose, man!” End ID LINK]

it doesn’t matter that the fans and the bucks love and support him anyway, because surely it’s only a matter of time before they see him the way Kenny sees himself and realize he’s not good enough, that he’s broken, and they abandon him just like Kota did

Kenny tried to beat Okada for a second time and failed again.

something’s still missing

June 20th, 2017 NJPW shows a short video package announcing which wrestlers will be taking part in this year’s G1 Climax (LINK)

and at the very end of the video

[ID: two gifs. the first shows a man from behind standing on a beach looking at what I assume is Mt. Fuji. the second shows flashes of Kota’s shirt and gear, and then him doing the golden triangle moonsault with “Golden Star” overlaid. End ID]

is Kota Ibushi

[ID: promo picture of Kota Ibushi for G1 Climax 27. End ID]