10 Booking Steps For The AEW World Title Tournament

1. The Aftermath: Kenny Omega Wins The World Title

Kenny Omega Orange Cassidy
AEW

Kenny Omega is the best in-ring professional wrestler in the world, and he works an explosive, incredibly demanding style that he will not be able to maintain for much longer. He can adjust - he is one of the most intelligent in-ring workers ever - but the time to capitalise on this version of the performer is now because this version made AEW viable.

He ushered in an unprecedented realm of critical acclaim through his series with Kazuchika Okada. His Wrestle Kingdom 12 match with Chris Jericho accelerated the subscriber count for New Japan World in the west. He brought something close to the old, glorious Tokyo Dome attendances back. He, and this was before ALL IN, drew an attendance for a non-WWE pro wrestling show not seen since 2001 (ROH Supercard Of Honor 2018). He put wrestling t-shirts in the mall and the non-WWE fans back in the upper bowl.

It's Kenny Omega's time, and who better an opponent than Jon Moxley to claim it from?

Moxley all but ruined Omega's big singles run in storylines. There's a symmetrical story here loaded with narrative depth. This was meant to be Omega's company. It pretty much is. And yet, "the WWE guy" runs it. This idea has to piss Omega off at his core, and this has to inform his drive - it's really an encapsulation of his career.

Moxley is the symbol he has spent a career in a bid to prove should not hold as much power as it does.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!