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The Truepenny Conspiracy

For loyal listeners to the Truepenny Show you will know we take great pride in our academic approach to discussion.  Each show has a wider subject but like any good University seminar we will soundbox out ideas and theories as we talk about matches and wrestlers. Occasionally we will spin off into flights of fancy. One such idea that floated and off repeated which was expanded upon by my colleagues, Chelsea Spollen, Marcus Green, Alex Watt, Alex Edwards and Si Heath (who is the absolute master of headcanon conspiracy),  was that of the story of Kota Ibushi and Kenny Omega. Whilst giggling our way through what was next for the former Tiger Mask W, I floated a theory as to his sudden return and trip under a mask. It basically went like this;
Kota’s run in the G1 Climax of 2015 ended in injury and disappointment. He then proceeded to resign from both his home promotion DDT and New Japan for whom he’d signed a unique two company deal. Feeling burned out he needed to move on he took some time and then entered the Cruiser Weight Classic for WWE.  Meanwhile Kenny Omega had moved up to the Heavyweight division and was cleaning house, setting records and pushing work rate.
My theory was this and it was something we came back to over the months in the run up to the last G1 in 2017 G1 as Kota and Kenny were booked in opposite blocks and the hope of a final showdown was on the cards. I proposed that the Golden Lovers would return and that the whole thing had been a plan between Kota, Kenny and Gedo to work the audience up to a whole new level. My theory was that after Ibushi had left NJPW, he went to WWE to give Omega room to grow so that he would have a hot feud to come back to, or a reunion of the Golden Lovers. His entire purpose in going to WWE was to gain notoriety away from Japan and raise his value while allowing the Okada/Omega story to flourish. In the meantime Omega had his outstanding run with Okada and was built as a serious contender for the 2017 G1 and then of course he lost the final to Naito, and was consoled by Kota setting into motion a chain of events we see today.


The principle was that Kota, Kenny and Gedo had worked the Japanese public, HHH, the NXT front office and the fans of NJPW into setting up the longest format slow burn storyline of the last few years. A way to slowly introduce the Golden Lovers to a new audience. The theory played upon the long term booking of Gedo, whose storytelling canvas stretches years into the future.  Kota Ibushi’s risk taking style both inside and outside the ring, and the faith we had in Kenny Omega to build a main event style that would blow minds. It was a nice aside as way to illustrate our feelings as to some of our favourite wrestling minds.


Fast forward to 2018. The Golden Lovers reunite and become the most over act in wrestling outside of the WWE. Grown women and men cry at their reunion and one twitter user https://twitter.com/EffingBoring wrote a thread that explored what the Golden Lovers meant to them and it became a hit, referenced by Mr. Omega himself. I read it too and loved it. Then this morning they contacted me to explain that a Truepenny Show listener had explained the Truepenny Conspiracy and asked for their response that you can read here.
I promised a response and so here it is. I agree that my original theory was fanciful, but it was built on truths we know; Gedo, Kota and Kenny have incredible wrestling IQs and are actually probably capable of getting this plan off the ground. It would require a certain sense of gullibility from the WWE NXT office and if HHH has proven anything it is that he has been smart to a lot of moves in the wrestling industry down the years. Kota genuinely did need a break, but having talked to the FWA bookers/promoters Dann and Emily Read who were in charge of the night he tried to set fire to himself in Bethnal Green I also know how wildly creative he is and I wouldn’t put this past her.


It was after all a fun theory that has clearly reached out to a lot of people, and that I am thankful for. I’d also like to thank EffingBoring for getting into contact with me, their writing is excellent and they are so unfailingly polite it was a joy to talk to him.


My life is pretty weird, I’m a wrestling journalist it can’t help but being, but this has helped me to see sometimes how far we reach.


JT

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