How Kenny Omega Is Bringing Back AEW's Biggest Weapon
The Revolution masterpiece was the greatest tag team wrestling match ever, a torturous emotional journey that doubled, seamlessly, as state-of-the-art professional wrestling. The ongoing saga with Hangman Page has added a fourth character type beyond the traditional babyface, heel and tweener roles, and is so far ahead of its time that nobody living through this time has coined it: real human being, with rich interior life and conditional motivations isn't snappy, but it's accurate.
But, through the optics of U.S. TV, and its emphasis on expositional promos and singles action, he isn't received as a traditional top star. Kenny Omega - ironically enough, for his detractors - has spent virtually all of 2020 cleaning. He wants to act as the bridge between the Young Bucks and Hangman Page. He is constantly torn between two friendships. He is constantly restraining himself for what he perceives is a greater good for his circle of friends. It is riveting episodic TV - a pro wrestling interpretation of the coming of age genre, almost, as the Elite struggles with a daunting new phase of their career - but is his character or his agency lost within it? And is that the point?
Recently, torn apart by FTR, he seems less and less concerned with repairing friendships. The Cleaner flashed his teeth on last week's Dynamite when, after being doused in the alcohol he does not drink, he entered a trios match with the Young Bucks versus Jurassic Express with a new - old - demeanour. He beat the sh*t out of Marko Stunt during and after the match, blowing a kiss to the camera, saying goodbye to his last f*ck.
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