While Jim Cornette may find himself upset over the main event of the CEO x NJPW: When Worlds Collide event featuring stuffed animals and what not, other fans of professional wrestling are upset about one wrestler getting booked on the show at all.
Chasyn Rance, a registered sex offender, defeated Aaron Epic in the first dark match of the evening. Fans then took to Twitter to question Kenny Omega about the decision to have such a match on the show. His response:
Here it is: I produced all matches from dark match #2 on.I gave the ring crew (also a wrestling school) carte Blanche to have our first dark. No entrances,no name graphics. And thus they had a match. I met Chasyn once in 2004 so his name was familiar. The other guy I’d never met.
— Kenny Omega (@KennyOmegamanX) June 30, 2018
Regardless of their history or whatever, this crew of people were all very helpful in set up, tear down, and various odd jobs around the arena. I’d felt giving them the opportunity to have a dark match was the least I could do as a way to show appreciation.
— Kenny Omega (@KennyOmegamanX) June 30, 2018
I’m gutted that people feel betrayed by their involvement, but at no point did I feel I was working with criminals or anything of the sort. As I’d said earlier, they were nothing but polite and helpful throughout the entire experience.
— Kenny Omega (@KennyOmegamanX) June 30, 2018
I’ll know better for next time to only use those I’m absolutely familiar/comfortable with
— Kenny Omega (@KennyOmegamanX) June 30, 2018
That is very much the response of someone who didn’t use anyone in public relations to help craft it and it has, unsurprisingly, resulted in even more criticism. Whether or not Rance was polite to Omega does not mean he isn’t a registered sex offender, and the fact that Omega didn’t feel like he was working with a criminal does not mean he wasn’t. He quite literally was.
The statement fails to make clear whether or not Omega knew of Rance’s history but implies that he did not, which would be a failure in vetting the talent used on his show. At the very least, he does say he will only use those he’s “absolutely familiar/comfortable with” going forward.
UPDATE: Omega released a more in depth, official statement on the matter:
Big thanks to all that made #CEOxNJPW possible, but I wanted to address a terrible oversight on my part, in depth, for all to read. pic.twitter.com/JKBiqcuzGK
— Kenny Omega (@KennyOmegamanX) June 30, 2018