Tyson Smith is the real name of Kenny Omega, a Canadian professional wrestler. He was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on October 16, 1983, and works for the NJPW Company. He was recently crowned the IWGP’s United States Heavyweight Champion.

Kenny Omega, the current World Champion, was previously a PWG World Champion and an IWGP Intercontinental Champion. He’s also a two-time IWGP Semi-Fullweight Champion, the first and only IWGP Full-Weight Champion in the United States, a two-time Champion of the Trios of Free Weight NEVER, and a one-time IWGP Half-Full-Weight Champion. He had won the 2016 G1 Climax as well as the Battle of Los Angeles.

Here are some of his quotes:

“There are times you break up with a loved one, a friend, or whatever. You feel alone. It’s a very easy feeling to understand – the feeling of loss, heartache, and pain.”― Kenny

“Part of what makes my character work is the delivery of the truth behind my comments.”― Kenny

“I don’t like to risk – I’m actually not a tough guy at all, make no mistake about it, so I’m not going to do something that I’m scared of. So, if something looks dangerous, at the time I didn’t think it was because I’m the first person to cower away from a risk of injury if there seems to be one.”― Kenny

“If I lose my confidence, then I’ll lose my way.”― Kenny

“I take a lot of pride in what I do.”― Kenny

“When I see Big E, I clearly see someone who could be world champion. The guy is on another level.”― Kenny 

“The problem with Deep South to me is that there was a group that were tight with the boss, and they would always go out and drink and have barbeques. Then, when WWE would say, ‘Who should we look at?’ Bill Demott would say, ‘Oh, look at this guy and this guy.’ Of course those were his buddies.”― Kenny

“The Bullet Club has sort of become this pop-culture phenomenon. You don’t even have to like wrestling or follow our product, and you can wear a Bullet Club shirt, and it’s cool.”― Kenny

“Why use your natural abilities to make someone feel bad? I just want to be the guy who uses his power to be positive.”― Kenny

“Okada and Tanahashi, they don’t mind being the wrestler that approaches everything day-of in the ring. I like to go in-depth, to tell the human side of Cody Rhodes, the human side of Kenny . That’s why Being The Elite exists.”― Kenny

“If LGBT people can identify with our story, if they think, ‘The Golden Lovers are my team,’ I’m good with that.”― Kenny

“In WWE, a gay person is usually portrayed like some sort of comedy act to be mocked and laughed at. The world’s not like that anymore.”― Kenny

“Since I’m not in WWE, some people think I’m not even in their league. It’s easy for me to tune those people out because they have no idea what they’re talking about.”― Kenny

“I’ll take all my matches against WWE’s best matches, I’ll put it up against Ring of Honor’s best matches, or whatever promotion you want, and I guarantee people will be more entertained with my matches than theirs.”― Kenny Omega

“The best wrestler in the world is me.”― Kenny 

“I am invading homes everywhere, all over the Internet and on TV – all you have to do is search the name, and you can find me anywhere, from New Japan World to Ring of Honor.”― Kenny

“If you’re holding a championship that means something in the landscape of Japanese wrestling, you’re guaranteed to get a huge feature in almost every magazine – you might even be guaranteed a front page. That’s big.”― Kenny

“What I’m trying to say, in general, I think, as long as you try as hard as you can and show that you can answer the call and run with the ball when you get it, there really is no limit.”― Kenny

“If people love you, if you’re making money, if the performances you have are unlike anything anyone has ever seen, you get put in a position to be the man.”― Kenny

“All I know is what I have been given and what opportunities lie before me. Try to make the best of them, and I’m not going to give up until I make it to the top.”― Kenny

“I guess what Kenny Omega is, even though the image is something that was given to me by New Japan and then tweaked by me, it’s just me, Tyson Smith. Yeah, that’s me, just a guy that likes to joke around when he doesn’t have to be serious. And when he has to be serious, he’s really serious!”― Kenny 

“I sort of took the literal term of ‘The Cleaner,’ and I started bringing janitorial items to the ring with me, so I took garbage bags and brooms and mops.”― Kenny

“I think, for many people, they think there’s one giant promotion, and that’s all that there is. It must be the best. But as they expand their palate and their horizons, they realize that, oh, there’s other wrestling out there. They might not necessarily like it more, but it’s an option now.”― Kenny Omega

“You’re not going to get a seven-star match or six or five in a seven-minute segment, but I always do the best I can to make that segment memorable and entertaining, and I think that’s always the name of the game.”― Kenny Omega

“I always try to be safe; even when something looks dangerous, it actually isn’t to me.”― Kenny Omega

“Before going to developmental, I had next to no fundamentals and that was sort of, doing cool chain wrestling and using a lot of holds and stuff.”― Kenny

“I try to think of things in levels, pain levels and such, injury levels, like, ‘How bad is this injury supposed to be? How much should I be selling?’ And I think it also helps with the emotional attachment of fans when you’re trying to tell a story as well.”― Kenny

“For me personally, I think too much emphasis is put on, ‘Okay, how cool are my moves?’ and, ‘How do I string them together?’ ‘How do I get this move in the match within this time limit?’ and that’s it.”― Kenny

“You should never bury someone to forward your own personal interest. And I would never do that to anyone else on the planet.”― Kenny

“Everyone loves to laugh.”― Kenny Omega

“It is always funny to see a grown man bully get beat up by a little girl or anything.”― Kenny Omega

“I can comfortably say that I very much dislike a person like Jim Cornette, so the day that he disappears from this business permanently, I think, will be a happy day for professional wrestling.”― Kenny Omega

“Here’s the thing: Tanahashi has this idea that wrestling has to be a certain way. There are borders that you shouldn’t cross. Wrestling should be wrestling; there’s a ‘classic’ way. But the thing is, when I watch a Tanahashi match, I feel nothing.”― Kenny Omega

“As a professional wrestler in the position I am in, I would rather have people remember my matches for an emotion or for a certain thought it evoked when they saw it.”― Kenny Omega

“A lot of people think that comedy is sort of a cop out to not wrestling seriously, but I actually would argue that comedy is much more difficult than wrestling seriously because you have to be creative in almost everything that you do if you want the comedy to make sense within the realms of pro wrestling.”― Kenny Omega

“If I were ever in a position to appear more for ROH, I would accept nothing less than to be recognized as the best – which would mean having to challenge the top dogs/champions.”― Kenny Omega

“As an artist, I really feel I need an outlet to exhibit all of my skills.”― Kenny Omega

“I still feel there is more to this Kenny Omega character, and there are more stories I need to tell, and New Japan allows me that freedom. That is a freedom I earned through the hard work I put into the company.”― Kenny Omega

“I loved DDT for the freedom; I was able to tell the wackiest and wildest of stories but also test myself as an athlete.”― Kenny Omega

“I’m lucky that my best strength as a wrestler has always been my brain.”― Kenny Omega

“As naturally athletic as I’m gifted to be, where certain things came easily, I always rely on my brain first.”― Kenny Omega

“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.”― Kenny Omega

“’Virtual Pro Wrestling 2′ remains the best wrestling game ever, in my opinion.”― Kenny Omega

“I really want to be an integral part of the New Japan brand in the United States – and other countries, for that matter, too. I feel that I have a certain versatility that other wrestlers do not.”― Kenny Omega

“There are people who would love to see me fail.”― Kenny Omega

“The IWGP title makes me a legend. I’ve committed half my life to this, and it’s worth all the sacrifice. Not only was it worth it, but it was worth it and then some.”― Kenny Omega

“This IWGP title means more with me than any WWE championship.”― Kenny Omega

“The WWE belt means nothing; it means absolutely nothing. They pass around that belt like a hot potato. I probably have a neighbor on my block who held that belt at one point. There is no prestige to that belt whatsoever.”― Kenny Omega

“A finishing move is an important part of one’s character – and sometimes success.”― Kenny Omega

“I’m not one to shy away from speaking my mind.”― Kenny Omega

“The Young Bucks and myself are always full of ideas.”― Kenny Omega

“I had always wanted a top spot, ever since I came to Japan in 2008.”― Kenny Omega

“When you are in WWE, you’re really strapped down by their rules and writing.”― Kenny Omega

“Even my most physical matches in New Japan have all been athletic contests, and generally, they’ve all been fair and square. It’s been this new, strong style we’ve been trying to create in New Japan, with my own personal style.”― Kenny Omega

“Not to knock TNA, but there’s too much hokey talking and segments that don’t really involve wrestling.”― Kenny Omega

“I can be multi-cultural, multi-lingual, work a physical style, push forward entertaining storylines, and be the more worldly entertainment that the company needs.”― Kenny Omega

“Back in the day, when I was getting into the business, you could watch Pro Wrestling Noah. You could watch Ring Of Honor Wrestling, and a lot of people would say, ‘the best wrestling in the world is actually at Ring Of Honor.’”― Kenny Omega

“I am a very firm believer in Cody Rhodes. I think he is fantastic, an absolute superstar. Unbelievable in the ring, great timing, great pacing – he’s in great physical conditioning, can cut a heck of a promo, and just an all-around good guy.”― Kenny Omega

“Really, Tanahashi belongs in the WWE. He can be the next Roman Reigns.”― Kenny Omega

“What true ‘Strong Style’ really is, is the battle of the heart of man. It’s not about how strong and how forceful you’re throwing your blows. It’s showing the never-say-die attitude of the human spirit. As long as it looks like you’re fighting and giving your all, people will believe.”― Kenny Omega

“I don’t want people to look back at my matches and say, ‘When you did that move, it was good, and I liked it because it was cool.’ I want people to sort of remember a rush of images and the emotion that they felt when they saw it. That’s when I think you have a real masterpiece in your hands.”― Kenny Omega

“There’s a certain kind of wrestling fan that will only like a certain style. They think that’s the right way, and that’s okay, but I’m not trying to impress those people. Those people are already kind of set in their ways. I’m trying to open the world to a different style, what pro-wrestling has the potential to be.”― Kenny Omega

“I am flawed, but at least I can admit it, and at least Kenny Omega, Tyson Smith, is exposed to every single one of you, every single night I perform in the ring. And the relationships that I have in my life with the fans, they’re all with me. We are all family.”― Kenny Omega

“Ibushi isn’t going anywhere. He’s staying with me, and I support his success 100%. But we will continue our success as the Golden Lovers, both as a tag team and as single performers.”― Kenny Omega

“I only ever get to work with Naito once a year. I’d love to wrestle him again. Yeah, he’s good, for sure. The person I’ve never worked before in a New Japan ring – and I’d be happy to get the chance and show the difference of styles – is Zack Sabre, Jr., so that’d be another one. Yeah, he’s one of my favorites.”― Kenny Omega

“When I was growing up, I thought there was only WWE. That’s it. One promotion in the world. And then, as I grew up, I found that there’s local wrestling. There’s WCW, there’s ECW. In Mexico, there are the luchadores. And then, finally, I realized there’s wrestling in Japan.”― Kenny Omega

“I have this original style that I want to show to the world. I don’t want to be kind of this beat down, bruise-you-up kind of dude and have Karl Anderson cut all my promos for me. I don’t want to have to do that.”― Kenny Omega

“Pentagon not only has the untrainable ‘It’ factor but also the rare ability to adapt and succeed wherever he competes. He has a unique charisma about him that fans connect with, and regardless of where he competes or what style is prominent, he seamlessly blends in – yet stands apart from everyone else on the card.”― Kenny Omega

“Fans, wrestlers, and even the general public have been conditioned to believe that there’s an enormous skill gap between WWE and everyone else.”― Kenny Omega

“I exposed myself, and I exposed my relationship and deep love and trust for Ibushi in front of the world. And we want to work together and change wrestling for a brighter future.”― Kenny Omega

“I have things about me that I dislike; I’m not a perfect human being.”― Kenny Omega

“Learning Japanese was certainly a task, but my passion for the culture, as well as my will to communicate with fans and friends, always encouraged me to continue.”― Kenny Omega

“I main-evented a sold-out Budokan Arena show; I participated in the first-ever ladder match in NJPW, made the transition from junior to heavyweight, and earned a G1 win with a series full of performances that I’m personally very proud of.”― Kenny Omega

“It’s easy to make rude comments simply for the sake of being rude, but I’d much rather go a more psychological route.”― Kenny Omega

“I think it’s important to show in the 21st century that if you’re gay, lesbian, trans, whatever, that you should feel just as welcome to be a wrestling fan as anyone else. You’re welcome in the space.”― Kenny Omega

“I have a vision for what I want wrestling to be, and I was fortunate not just to have the opportunity to show my talents at the right time, and not just to have the right opponents, and not just to have the knowledge that the front office has faith in me, but also the good fortune not to get hurt in the middle of all this.”― Kenny Omega

“John Cena is one of the great WWE talents that I respect most. If I were to end up there, working with someone of his caliber would certainly be a goal and jive with my mission of changing wrestling.”― Kenny Omega

“Of course I’m not stupid enough to think that we could take on WWE head-on and win, because they’re too big of a monster.”― Kenny Omega

“While I’m still healthy, while I still have ideas in this crazy head of mine, I want to contribute, and I want to do things that are going to make wrestling fans happy and are going to make new people into wrestling fans that were wrestling fans before. I want to contribute in that manner.”― Kenny Omega

“I went from being a junior – and probably set to be Kushida’s arch-nemesis until the cows came home – to suddenly being vaulted into the heavyweight title picture for the Intercontinental championship. That taught me a lesson: I couldn’t put a limit on myself.”― Kenny Omega

“Everything we do in general, there’s gonna be a percentage of risk. Me, making my entrance to the ring, there’s actually a percentage of risk I’m going to trip and fall and hurt myself. Me, getting up on the apron, there’s a percentage of risk.”― Kenny Omega

“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.”― Kenny Omega

“A lot of my main-event matches will last around the half-hour mark, and if you can have a variety of emotions within that half hour, that’s a great story from start to finish.”― Kenny Omega

“A lot of people, especially performers in wrestling, feel that winning the title is the only statistic that matters, but it’s always about the journey. If you don’t have the people behind you, believing in you, and the start of a new chapter after winning the title, then you don’t have anything.”― Kenny Omega

“We have a very physical performance art. A lot of times, when you want to achieve a certain emotion, you have to use professional wrestling ingredients, which are moves or a sequence of moves.”― Kenny Omega

“Winning the title is an important detail to the story, but how you get there is much more important.”― Kenny Omega

“I’ve always been on the outside looking in. I was never popular in school, despite my success in athletics. I would win track and field competitions, but I wouldn’t go to parties. I’d be alone.”― Kenny Omega

“I loved Japanese culture before even realizing it was, in fact, Japanese culture. The cartoons and anime I was watching as a child, my favorite video games, and even in pro wrestling – my favorite wrestlers and matches originated in Japan.”― Kenny Omega

“Any time I broke through the ‘glass ceiling’ by accomplishing things that foreigners weren’t apparently able to do, they’ve been huge personal victories and career highlights for me.”― Kenny

“I have sort of made it my mission to be treated less as a foreigner, less as a guest.”― Kenny Omega

“I could say, you know, if I could work with Seth Rollins at some point in time, that would be a lot of fun.”― Kenny Omega

“New Day rocks. I can’t lie.”― Kenny Omega.

“I actually work better within restrictions. When you leave everything wide open, things tend to get a little convoluted. So when you give me those restrictions and I start to use my brain creatively to work around those, that’s when things get interesting.”― Kenny Omega

“It’s no secret that I love the country, and Japan has always felt like a second home to me.”― Kenny Omega

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