How Kenny Omega Is Bringing Back AEW's Biggest Weapon

Kenny Omega Cody
NJPW1972.com

This seemed to foreshadow a heel turn, but Kenny Omega doesn't slot into any binary dynamic. This, in reality, foreshadowed the return of the Best Bout Machine, the Cleaner - the man who will restore the old God of wrestling, and become AEW's top star, with the old ambition. The Kenny Omega of old luxuriated in his status as the greatest of all-time. He was the Best Bout Machine.

Dave Meltzer reported before this development that the plan was to make Omega the guy in year two. This was the first evidence of it.

The Cleaner is more of a mythology now than it was a gimmick then. It represents the best of Kenny Omega, which, to many, represents the very best of pro wrestling. A character shift is about to burst forth with the velocity of a V-Trigger - and it might be what AEW needs to transcend stable viewership patterns.

Almost lost amid Omega's artistic legacy (and, of course, bad faith rhetoric) is his objective drawing power.

Kenny Omega drew huge attendances, by modern standards, to his two NJPW Wrestle Kingdom events, and his 2018 semi-main with Chris Jericho overwhelmed in hype and promotion the Kazuchika Okada Vs. Tetsuya Naito headliner. This, combined with the record houses he drew in Ring Of Honor, encouraged New Japan to push him as the face of its US expansion. As part of which, at the G1 Special in San Francisco 2018, his main event set a record gate at the Cow Palace. Given its legacy as a pro wrestling institution, this is particularly impressive.

CONT'D...(5 of 6)

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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!