|
 A
pro-wrestler for New Japan Pro Wrestling, Kenny Omega, has been making
waves in the FGC as of late. He recently appeared on Excellent Adventures
with Gootecks & Mike Ross, and is becoming well known for not only his
in-ring abilities, but his in-ring fighting game & video game
references. He was recently spotted performing Cody's
rock
throw from Street Fighter. (Years later, he would appear as
"mayor" Cody in Street
Fighter V: Arcade Edition.) And several years ago, he became an
underground internet sensation when he performed Zangief's Spinning Lariat
and Final Atomic Buster (as seen in the intro of the video below).
Born in Winnipeg, Canada,
the 32-year-old wrestler has been in the pro-wrestling business for over a
decade. He worked in WWE's developmental division for a short time before
moving to Ring of Honor, DDT, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. He currently
works for New Japan Pro Wrestling and just became the new leader of the Bullet
Club. In
January 2015, he became IWGP World Junior Heavyweight Champion for the
first time.
Kenny Omega FUN FACTS: 
Omega's famed finisher in NJPW is called "One Winged
Angel" which, of course, is named after Final Fantasy VII's
Sephiroth. Another one of his earlier NJPW trademarks is throwing a Hadouken (which also looks
like one of Necalli's normals). Later on, he introduced a jumping knee
finished called V-Trigger - based on SFV's mechanic. He's also
known for quoting Cody Travers and Alex during matches, imitating some of their
moves and mannerisms as well. One of his past entrance music was also Dr.
Wily's stage theme from Mega Man 1.
As he stated in a 2015
interview with Games Radar, "I've always been an avid gamer and
(aside from wrestling) I credit games, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and
Saturday morning superhero cartoons for developing a lot of my
personality. As a kid,
when the neighbors were out playing street hockey or tackle football, my
friends and I were in my basement with the NES/SNES. In high school,
despite my involvement on four different sports teams, I threw my duties
of being a jock out the window and spent my spare time in wrestling
training or on the PS2."
Regarding his subtle tributes to video game characters in the ring, Kenny
explained, "That came about while trying to create a character in
wrestling that was original, yet still me. Some
nods are purposely more recognizable than others, and the rest are just me
being a fanboy, paying homage to things I love. I knew that there was a
chance it'd fall real flat, but I was lucky, and people got it. Because it
wasn't a parody and something I did with conviction, I think it got a
'Hey, I remember playing Street Fighter!' type of nostalgic
reaction."
Below, Kenny's Titatron (from a few years back) features health bars and
some of his special moves.
|
In case you didn't know,
Kenny also has his own gaming Youtube
channel where he's uploaded several of his Ultra Street Fighter IV match
videos. Thanks for reading the article and be sure to check out more
fighting game × pro-wrestling
articles, below!
~TFG Webmaster, Frank Joseph
| @Fighters_Gen
|
|
| Sources: CapcomFighters,
@XavierWoodsPhD, UpUpDownDown, v2lab, BasedMonster,
@JustframAndre
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WWE
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Fighting games
and pro-wrestling have had a deep-rooted bond since the earliest beginnings of
the genre. We've become accustomed to seeing fighting game characters
paying homage to various WWE icons in their movesets, but we're definitely
not used to hearing the likes of "EVO", "Final Round ATL"
and "Street Fighter" on
Monday Night Raw.
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From
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culture. AEW announced new Street Fighter collaboration shirts,
which are now available:
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It's no secret that pro-wrestler Xavier Woods is more than just a normal fan of fighting games... he's a BIG fan. He also recently had a big win at October 2021's Crown Jewel event where he won The King of the Ring tournament. Since then, Woods adapted a new "
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KOF: All-Star x WWE
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A collaboration that no one could've predicted... The King of Fighters: All-Star x WWE crossover is already making waves before the event's in-game launch tomorrow. As previously reported,
Kofi Kingston, Becki Lynch, and The Undertaker will be the first characters to join the event.
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| (7-8-2016):
Stonecold Steve Austin Gives Shoutout to K-Brad For His CEO '15
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