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In the world of professional wrestling, there are stars, there are superstars, and then there are those athletes who you just know are going to be legendary. These are men like the Dynamite Kid, long considered one of the best in-ring performers in wrestling history, or Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who single-handedly changed the perception of what professional wrestlers were to the mainstream media.
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They are also men like the Nature Boy Ric Flair, whose decades of wrestling the best in the world have left an indelible mark, and Hulk Hogan, who took pro wrestling out of the small venues and made it mainstream.
Another man who is a living legend is Kenny Omega. Never before in the history of pro wrestling has so much attention been focused on where an athlete will ply his trade. True, speculation about what wrestler will end up in which promotion has always been a part of sports entertainment fandom.
What sets Kenny Omega apart, however, is the fact that the internet age and streaming have made it possible for fans all over the world to partake in his matches. Likewise, the rise of sports entertainment-centric websites has raised the speculation to a fever pitch.
Two years ago, rumours ran wild about Omega making a surprise appearance at the Royal Rumble. These rumours were fueled by both the fact that Omega's contract with New Japan was coming up, and that John Cena--longtime WWE stalwart--posted a pic of Omega on social media.
As history has told us, Omega opted to stay with New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he captured the IWGP World Heavyweight championship, becoming one of the few westerners to hold that particular honour.
Now Omega's contract is coming up again, and there is a lot of speculation that he will sign with the WWE. Here are five reasons you will see Kenny Omega in a WWE ring by the end of the year, and five reasons he might ply his trade elsewhere.
#5 Might Sign with WWE: He already has friends there
Kenny Omega has already faced off against current WWE talent....of course, that was during a video game contest and not a wrestling match, but it happened.
Omega is known to be a huge video game fan. In fact, many of his moves, theme music, and ring gear are inspired by gamer culture. Xavier Woods of the New Day is much the same in every category. So when the Elite faced off against the New Day at E3 in a contest of Street Fighter V, the wrestling world was watching just to pick up clues as to Omega's next move.
Given that he already has friends in the WWE, Omega might be tempted to accept their offer.
#5 Might Not Sign with WWE: Lingering Resentment
Many fans don't realize that Kenny Omega has already been employed by the WWE once before. However, he never appeared on Smackdown or Raw, much less a PPV, because he never made it out of their developmental territory.
One of the major sticking points for Omega was his interactions with two men who were, at the time, employees of the WWE: Jim Cornette and Bill DeMott, aka Hugh Morris from WCW.
For whatever reason, Kenny Omega rubbed Cornette the wrong way, but Cornette is known to be somewhat vitriolic in his passion for old-school wrestling. And as for Bill DeMott, Omega is far, far from the only wrestler to express concerns about his bullying behaviour backstage.
Both of those men are no longer employed by the WWE, but Omega might still harbour some resentment that no one took his problems seriously the first time around.
#4 Might Sign with WWE: That big, cash money wad
While the pro wrestling world has certainly expanded in recent years, and there are many promotions competing for a market share, the fact remains that WWE is the biggest and most financially sound promotion in the world.
Simply put, the WWE can put a lot more money in Kenny Omega's bank account than their next biggest competitor. Yes, Kenny Omega considers himself an artist to whom creative control of his matches is important, but he's also 35 years of age and probably has more years behind on his career than ahead. If he's going to make the kind of money he needs to live comfortably after retirement, the WWE's offer might be just a little bit too tempting.
All Elite Wrestling doesn't even have a television deal or a full roster yet, Impact is struggling despite winning back a lot of fans in recent years, and Ring of Honor is simply too small to hand Omega a multi-million dollar contract. If it comes down to money, Omega is going to sign with WWE.
#4 Might not sign with the WWE: Kenny Omega likes working in Japan
When it comes to pro wrestling, the Japanese people have fully embraced sports entertainment in a way that the western world simply has not. Full page spreads about pro wrestling results are in every newspaper, and fans travel the entirety of the country for an opportunity to see their favourite stars live.
Former pro wrestlers have served in the Diet, which is similar to Parliament in the UK and Congress in the USA, and are considered to be role models and celebrities on par with movie stars and rock musicians.
Kenny Omega is treated well by NJPW and the Japanese people in general, and given his self-proclaimed 'otaku' status (an otaku is a big fan of anime, manga, and video games) he is perfectly happy plying his trade in that country.
#3 Might Sign with WWE: A chance for dream matches against WWE talent
Much like movie stars will take on projects just to work with particular directors or actors, pro wrestlers will sometimes jump to a different promotion just to be able to work with sports entertainers they respect and admire--and believe they could have magical wrestling matches with.
Right now, there is a bevvy of talent in the WWE capable of putting on five-star matches, and fans are not the only ones salivating for the chance to see Kenny Omega take them on.
Imagine Keith Lee vs. Kenny Omega and the hard shots and high spots that such a match would produce. Or Kenny Omega vs. Adam Cole in a battle of ring technicians. Then there are men like AJ Styles, who are in the waning years of their careers and will likely retire in the WWE. Unless Omega jumps ship and accepts WWE's offer, he will miss his opportunity to work with them.
#3 Might not sign with WWE: His fellow Bullet Club alumni have struggled
While AJ Styles has enjoyed what can only be considered a 'phenomenal' WWE run, the same cannot always be said of talent who made their names in other promotions.
For example, look no further than the much-touted duo of Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. They were one of the top, if not the top, heavyweight tag team in New Japan Pro Wrestling, taking on some of the top talents in the world. While they did enjoy a run as world tag team champions, the fact is they seem to have slid down the card since then.
Kenny Omega has no doubt taken note of how his old friends have been faring in the WWE, and it might influence his decision to sign with the company.
#2 Might Sign with WWE: Kenny Omega has accomplished all he can in NJPW
Kenny Omega has had an absolutely stellar run with the New Japan Pro Wrestling organization. He has won tournaments, captured both the IWGP United States AND IWGP World Heavyweight championships, and become a megastar and household name in the land of the rising sun.
However, Kenny's success is a double-edged sword. While on one hand he has been treated very well by NJPW, on the other he's already done pretty much everything in that organization.
Given that Kenny Omega is always looking to improve his craft and take his career to the next level, he might be motivated to join WWE simply so he has new mountains to climb, and new challenges to conquer. The WWE can offer him an opportunity for growth and advancement that might not be possible in other pro wrestling promotions.
#2 Might Not sign with WWE: A lack of creative control
When it comes to pro wrestling promotions, no one is better at developing, marketing, and tweaking athletes to make them into megastars than the WWE.
The WWE is very much a huge corporation dedicated to producing talent that not only can wrestle matches but can also move merchandise and generate mainstream media attention. There are costume designers, musicians whose only job is to create individualized theme music for each wrestler, and road agents who are constantly working with the talent to make them just a little bit better.
However, that much attention can be a double-edged sword and cut both ways. While the WWE can make stars out of little-known talent, they sometimes also change some wrestlers too much and the crowd can no longer sympathize with them.
Given that Kenny Omega is very involved with creating his own ring gear, theme music, and the way his matches are booked, he might not want to jump ship to WWE, where there will be a ton of outside influence on all of those things.
#1 Might Sign with WWE: It is the biggest, most prestigious stage for sports entertainment in the world
Every Major League Baseball player wants to play in the world series. Every football player wants to compete in the world cup. Every musician wants to play Carnegie Hall. And every pro wrestler--whether they want to admit it or not--wants to wrestle at a Wrestlemania event.
Simply put, Wrestlemania is the gold standard for promotion, production, and senses-shattering action in pro wrestling history. While sometimes the event is hit or miss, it always garners a lot of mainstream attention from the media, and you can bet that every wrestler in every promotion will be watching as well, even if it's just to see how their friends and peers are faring.
What WWE can offer Kenny Omega that no other pro wrestling organization on the planet can is a grand stage to perform upon. Like most wrestlers of his generation, Omega grew up watching Wrestlemania every year, and it just has to be on his bucket list to compete there at least once.
#1 Might Not Sign with WWE: His closest friends have their own promotion now
If there was any wrench to be thrown into the works of Kenny Omega performing in a WWE ring, it's not money, or prestige, or even creative control.
It's the fact that his best friends in the wrestling business have just gone into business for themselves. Kenny Omega's Bullet Club/Elite pals have started their own promotion, and it looks like they have the backing of Jacksonville Jaguars owner Tony Khan to the hilt.
Given that All Elite Wrestling might be capable of making Omega a compelling financial offer--though probably not as lucrative as the WWE might--and the fact that many of his close friends are already a part of the organization, and indeed are the ones running it, he might just eschew the WWE for the new AEW promotion.
Do you think Kenny Omega will sign with the WWE? Please comment and let us know and as always thanks for reading!
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