Why Dave Meltzer Is RIGHT About Kenny Omega

by Michael Sidgwick
BTE Kenny Omega
Being The Elite

It was the greatest performance ever because it was the greatest babyface performance ever. Omega and Okada entered the match as perfectly equal machines of stamina. Omega left as IWGP Heavyweight Champion because, as was so beautifully realised through nods to his former friends - the Styles Clash, that Phoenix Splash again - he showed the most heart.

Tanahashi and Okada are honourable mentions in the debate. Both are geniuses at building a match with exquisite detail to peak at the perfect crescendo. Minoru Suzuki and Tomohiro Ishii are just as great, if not more understated, with their mastery of the fighting spirit rhythms and the knowledge of when to use the last remaining fumes of piss and vinegar to explode into the comeback. The All Japan Four Pillars between them created an anthology of storytelling almost unparalleled in its rich scope.

Bret Hart was another genius; his greatest night, WrestleMania 13, was so subtly magnificent that every progressively nasty stomp and every extra snug submission application placed the trust in the audience to grasp the story. To get Austin over as the new top babyface, that story had to be shown. It was a personal decision for those fans to make - they had to make it themselves to forge the bond with Austin that they subsequently did - and a difficult one. Hart was the man they stuck with the WWF for. The story had to show itself, not tell, and Hart did so with a working majesty few have ever rivalled.

Omega has surpassed him, and indeed everybody else.

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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 surefire Undisputed WWE Universal 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!