Kenny Omega, Chris Jericho Discuss Table Differences In Japan
Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho engaged in a crazy brawl at Wrestle Kingdom 12 that at one point involved the use of tables. That also welcomed Jericho to something that Omega has known for quite some time: breaking a table in Japan isn't quite as easy as it is in a wrestling match in the United States.
Omega and Jericho discussed the differences between tables in the two countries during the latest episode of Jericho's Talk Is Jericho podcast, which featured Omega for an extended interview in the wake of their No DQ match at the biggest New Japan Pro Wrestling event of the year.
Jericho said the following about the discrepancy in tables:
"A table in WWE is like a church picnic table; it's very thin. Here [in Japan], it's about 2 inches thick? Three inches thick? And so to take the bump out of the corner through it, I know it's going to break but I still don't know for sure because I'd never taken a bump through a Japanese table."
Omega noted he has tried to get thinner tables for use before in matches in Japan, and failed.
"I suppose it's a culture thing," Omega said. "I sort of asked before: 'Hey, what about getting the prop tables like they have in America? Just order them in?' "
The response was less than positive, as Omega was told, "That's not Japanese style."
Omega went on to recount some painful ladder bumps he has incurred, most notably in 2016 when he faced Michael Elgin in the first-ever ladder match held in New Japan.
"I took a powerbomb near the top of the ladder onto two tables and I just bounced off it," Omega said. "Bounced off of it on my lower back, in Japan. It looked worse than actually crashing thru it. There's an expectation where you're going to crash through it."
Click here to listen to Omega's full appearance on Talk Is Jericho.