10 Ways WWE Can Be THE Cool Wrestling Company Again

2. Throw What Must Be Millions At Kenny Omega

kenny omega
NJPW

Kenny Omega gets it.

The man rocks aviator shades and a leather jacket, and pounds the mat to the beat of the Terminator 2 Main Theme. He is about the only performer in all of wrestling to use the now-timeless '80s aesthetic to portray himself as the coolest wrestler on the planet. IT. Stranger Things. Star Wars sequels. Millennials are doomed, or blessed, to repeat that decade forevermore. Omega gets that.

Kenny Omega also happens to be the greatest in-ring performer on the planet, at a time when there has never been a greater emphasis on in-ring performance. His matches are incredible feats of athletic precision, absurdly rich in storytelling craft. At Power Struggle, between referencing Jack Nicholson in The Shining and responding to Chris Jericho's Wrestle Kingdom 12 challenge, he welcomed Beretta to the Heavyweight division in an astonishing performance. It was no .5, back-and-forth, easy fix: you were left with the impression that Beretta was nearly there. He just about hung with the Cleaner. And that was the objective.

His very signature would transfer cool - Omega dust - to WWE by association.

But would it even matter?

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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!