Professional wrestler Kenny Omega took to the ring earlier this week (January 4) dressed as Final Fantasy 7 villain Sephiroth.
Omega was taking part in New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Pay-per-view event Wrestle Kingdom 17 when he took to the stage wearing a game-accurate Sephiroth costume.
The entrance was also soundtracked by Final Fantasy 7’s end boss theme ‘One Winged Angel’, composed by Nobuo Uematsu. Check it out below.
🔥東京ドーム大会 WRESTLE KINGDOM 17🔥
ダブルメインイベントⅠ USヘビー級選手権試合🇺🇸@KennyOmegamanX is Back👉💥
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⇒https://t.co/z1DNREh66D#njpw #wk17 pic.twitter.com/rJTatJHiiS— njpwworld (@njpwworld) January 4, 2023
Omega went on to defeat Will Opsrey and claimed the IWGP US Championship belt.
“Yesterday at #njwk17 we desperately raced towards the same goal and were willing to break our bodies for it. That kind of passion I can respect,” Omega said following the match.
This wasn’t Omega’s first foray in combining professional wrestling with gaming though. His finishing move is the Final Fantasy 7-inspired One Winged Angel while his signature move is the V-Trigger, which pays homage to the fighting technique found in Street Fighter 5.
.@rainmakerXokada & @KennyOmegamanX "Rainmaker + V trigger"
Watch Free⏩https://t.co/CcdQ1XamUA#njdash #NJPW #njpwworld pic.twitter.com/RexQWwDUEd
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The first part of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake was released in 2020 with the second chapter, Rebirth, set for release later this year. The series will be concluded with an as-of-yet unnamed title.
Square Enix recently revealed that it didn’t initially announce how many games the Final Fantasy 7 Remake series would cover, because they didn’t know themselves. It was also confirmed that the series won’t be expanded beyond a trilogy of games, nor will anything from the original game be omitted.
A remaster of Final Fantasy 7 prequel Crisis Core was also released late last year. In a four-star review, NME wrote: “Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion is a faithful, thrilling remaster that celebrates one of Square Enix’s finest stories. Though some clunky level design suggests Square Enix’s remaster has been true to a fault, a gorgeous visual upgrade – combined with a gripping tale of disillusionment and what it means to be a hero – makes this an essential play for Final Fantasy fans.”
In other news, FIFA 23 players have just uncovered a series of easter eggs featuring Hollywood legends/Wrexham AFC owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.