10 Indy Wrestling Stars WWE Would Ruin

3. Kenny Omega

Kenny Omega
NJPW

You’d hope WWE would follow the AJ Styles route with Kenny Omega because they’d have no choice, if nothing else. Omega is the greatest polymath operating in wrestling today. He is the Best Bout Machine in nickname and in reality. He’s the only man, with his aviator shades and leather Terminator get-up, to tap into the eternal magic of the 1980s aesthetic. Ironically, he is as current as it gets. He is wrestling’s real The Guy.

Hope, however, is in increasingly short supply. After an, ahem, phenomenal first year, Styles has settled into the dreaded groove of the B+ Player. He’s a great “little hand” who exists in 2017 to put over Vince McMahon pet projects; first Baron Corbin and, more tragically, Jinder Mahal. His United States Title series opposite Kevin Owens was wrecked by terminally dumb layouts and only existed to build towards KO’s programme with Shane McMahon. WrestleMania 33 was considered a demotion for AJ. It actually was the pinnacle of his year.

WWE’s tremendous Q3 financial results paint a stark picture. They don't need Omega. They'll try to snap him up, out of greed and spite, but they don't need him.

Like Styles, it’s probably impossible to ruin Omega. But it’s damn easy to normalise him.

 
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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!