10 Disturbing Wrestling Bumps That Nearly Went Badly Wrong

4. Kenny Omega's Almost Literal Snap Dragon

Spike Seth Rollins
New Japan World

The one blight on in-ring perfection, Kazuchika Okada Vs. Kenny Omega I was a masterpiece because it incorporated so much unreal, relentless content, but pieced it altogether with such perfect pacing and build that they never once lost an entranced audience throughout its 46:45 duration.

That build was germane to the story of Omega mapping his path to the One-Winged Angel that he never did execute, somehow leaving space for a sequel to the dynamic that had more or less perfected itself - but this lunatic, disgusting move was surely more effective than Omega's finish, lofty mythology and all.

It's the sort of move that looks harrowing when executed from a traditional position - the sort of move and angle that Japanese wrestling moved away from in the wake of Mitsuharu Misawa's tragic 2009 in-ring death - and Omega struck it from the top rope. There was a certain psychology behind it - the two men aimed for a dangerous spectacle the likes of which the world had never seen - but mercifully, it was never revisited in the three subsequent sequels.

Presumably, it was considered superfluous - and Okada, quite rightly, never wished to risk such punishment nor surgery when he was enough of a genius to not resort to it.

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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!