Professional wrestler Kenny "The Cleaner" Omega was impossible to miss. Armed with a Bullet Club tank top, streaks of silver in his hair, and biceps that rivaled tree trunks, Omega made his fighting game tournament debut at Community Effort Orlando 2016 with a splash. He would make sure his first competition in the community was a memorable one.
Often pictured with a smile in his victories or defeats, he impressed spectators that were unfamiliar with his skill in Street Fighter V. His character of choice, Alex, was an offensive-oriented grappler and Omega played him in entertaining fashion, primarily relying on the burst-damage potential of his character and momentum waves as his comeback mechanic. It's a fitting pairing for a man that many regard as one of the most versatile professional wrestlers in the business today. Unfortunately, Omega's tournament run ended in the pool stage, but he was a treat to the audience.
"I wanted to be able to hang with talented players," Omega said. "I felt it was a great coming-out party. It wasn't just my premier event debut, but it was a test of my skill."
Omega chose CEO 2016 because he wanted a tournament with some familiarity. With a wrestling ring, championship belts, and a battle royale exhibition as special features, CEO 2016 was more wrestling show than fighting game tournament.
"I came into CEO with the understanding that tournament organizer Alex Jebailey was a huge wrestling fan," he continued. "That's why I made my debut here. It's important to not feel foreign or as an outsider. I'm an introvert. When I have free time and I'm not wrestling or doing a business deal, I'm in my basement playing games. If I'm in the public playing games, it's great to feel accepted by the community. I knew with the way CEO was run, I would be among friendly people that accepted pro wrestling."
There are many parallels between pro wrestling and the fighting game community. It's a colorful scene full of vibrant personalities and the occasional trash talk call-out. In addition to the actual people, fighting games, like wrestling, involve an actual match between combatants. Last year's CEO was a big reason Omega chose this tournament as his debut. Dubbed the "Stole Cold KBrad" moment, Evil Geniuses' Kenneth "KBrad" Bradley made his entrance memorable by parodying the mannerisms of retired professional wrestler, Stone Cold Steve Austin. Omega knew right there that this was a place that he could be absolutely comfortable in. If the players liked wrestling, then he would like them too.
Omega's big moment came in the form of a Street Fighter V exhibition against professional wrestling rival, Xavier Woods. It pitted two men and two different wrestling companies, WWE and New Japan Pro Wrestling in one of the most entertaining and anticipated crossovers for the sport. Their contest and rivalry was under brew for the better part of the last year and finally reached its climatic end with a first-to-five fighting game match. It took seven games -- at least four promos -- one pop-off to the crowd, and several breaks to pander to the audience, but Omega won the set with his Alex over Wood's Birdie 5-2.
"That challenge was a long time coming," Omega said. "I thrive in an environment where I'm able to trash talk, not follow any strict decorum, and it's free-flowing. We were playing competitively, but also very casually. I probably couldn't get away with doing that on stream. I can't interrupt a first-to-five by grabbing a microphone, but that's me. A wrestling match is essentially a fight, but we always keep the fan's entertainment in mind. There's always a lot of banter and story before a match. There will be talking before, during, and after a match -- the whole exhibition reminded me of a match. It just shows the power that games had. It brings people together."
After his competitive debut, Omega reflected on the comparisons between a professional athlete and a gamer and drew several key parallels. In addition to mental fortitude, the common denominator was the time spent on improvement.
"Both are physically demanding and take a lot of time," he continued. "Just like any sport, these things consume your off-time. You're thinking about how to improve your game, how to make yourself a better player and competitor. In wrestling, I'm thinking about new moves, how to draw the crowd, or a new look and image. Both take a lot of mental fortitude. A lot of people think gamers play because they're lazy, but it's not true. It takes a lot of mental strength, amplitude, and dexterity. Gamers are getting more respect."
What's next for Omega? He wants to focus on the pile of games he's yet to touch since his Street Fighter V training began. The new Final Fantasy, Dark Souls, Metal Gear, Uncharted, and Persona are on the priority list, but he won't just drop Street Fighter from his life. Video games are just too big in Omega's world.
"Sometimes you lose sleep for the hobbies you love, but if you love something you'll find time for it," he said.