10 Things WWE Doesn't Want You To Know About NJPW

1. The REAL 'The Guy' Works There

Okada plays the Crystal Maze
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Roman Reigns isn't The Guy. He is a great worker, one leagues beyond his reputation as a cancer, but he isn't The Guy. The argument that Okada is the better worker is a strong one, insofar as his CV goes, but Kenny Omega simply feels like the biggest superstar in all of wrestling. He is The Guy.

Omega is searingly charismatic - an intense, wild-haired, gurning big match wizard with a genuine sense of humour and a knowing exploration of how wrestling works nowadays. He was secure enough in his ability to wrestle a nine year-old girl. He is secure enough to play into his latter day internet darling persona and transparently ask his fans to buy his merchandise and brag about his Wrestling Observer star ratings. This is a man who doesn't tell fans off on Twitter because he's almost universally adored. He is the best in the world, and he revels in his status as the best in the world - thereby reinforcing it. He is also a major draw; ROH experienced their three most financially successful shows ever with Omega front and centre of the marketing drive behind the recent Global Wars tour.

Omega is the wrestling polymath of the Modern Era, and he excels in every measurable and subjective department. What's more, he is happy in Japan. That was always his goal.

That the (joint) best wrestler and biggest star on the entire international scene shrugs in the general direction of WWE is perhaps the most telling sign of all that the paradigm, slowly, is shifting.

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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!