10 Wrestlers Who Can HONESTLY Be Labelled A Genius

5. Kenny Omega

Okada Omega
AEW/James Musselwhite

Kenny Omega, through his sheer genius and the audacious marketing of it, has built a towering legacy in real time.

A new breed of professional wrestler, a man who has embraced the performance art element, Omega has broken a rule of storytelling to advance it: like Flair before him, he both shows and tells you how good he is, and in doing so, he sets and meets an expectation of transcendent wrestling. This is key to his reputation and drawing ability: Omega is in a position to guarantee brilliance, and is received as a living legend.

Omega is a propulsive, explosive, charismatic showman with an incredible knack for match-building detail. Capable of taking the audience on genuine odysseys through his conditioning and intricate, rewarding storytelling nous, the biggest complaint his detractors hold against him is his affected movements, his theatrical brand of charisma. And he undercuts this, every time, with his astonishing V-Trigger. It is a stunning achievement of the inch-perfect physical timing Omega has, and that is something that cannot be denied. His ability to smash himself into the faces of his opponents with such force and velocity is unparalleled.

How he has avoided concussing anybody is a mystery, and it's ironic: the talent who apparently betrays the magic is the one whose trick you cannot work out.

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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!