5 Ways WWE could use Kenny Omega

There we have it. Wrestle Kingdom 13 is in the books, Kenny Omega’s reign as IWGP Heavyweight Champion is over, and the former Bullet Club leader is now reportedly finishing up with New Japan Pro Wrestling when his contract expires later this month.

With New Japan having become white-hot in recent years, the WWE has been keeping a close eye on the organisation; not least in how they’ve acquired stars such as Finn Balor, Shinsuke Nakamura, and AJ Styles. And for the past couple of years, one of the absolute jewels of the NJPW crown has been Kenny Omega.

Omega heading to the WWE is as close as it’s ever been, with the usually reliable Dave Meltzer reporting that the Canadian has received a mammoth offer to join Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Entertainment.

When you add into the mix the fact that Omega himself has even publicly stated that it would be a missed opportunity for him if he didn’t go to WWE at some point in his career, then it really does look as if The Cleaner could finally turn up in a WWE ring sooner rather than later.

Having spent a year in WWE development from 2005 – 2006, it seems as if Kenny Omega may now finally return to the global juggernaut. And if that is indeed the case, here are 5 possible ways in which the WWE could best make use of the hugely talented Big Bout Machine.

#5 The Face of NXT

Yes, you’re right. Putting Kenny Omega in NXT would indeed be an odd choice, but then the WWE is a company that has often been based on odd choices over the decades.

There’s no debating that NXT is the most consistently entertaining WWE brand right now, and Triple H has often made mention that he views the black and yellow corner of the WWE as a full-on third brand that he intends to have viewed as being on the same level as Raw and SmackDown. So with that in mind, what better opportunity do you have of establishing NXT as an equal to Raw and SmackDown than by having Kenny Omega plying his trade as the face of NXT?

Omega is viewed as the best wrestler on the planet by many, and the NXT brand is so often based on pure in-ring action. Many often talk about dream matches or dream rivalries, but the potential landscape for Omega in NXT really is a mouth-watering one.

Just imagine Omega vs Tommaso Ciampa, Omega vs Aleister Black, Omega vs Johnny Gargano, Omega vs Ricochet, Omega vs Adam Cole, Omega vs Velveteen Dream. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Some of those matches have, of course, already taken place, but that’s not to say that they're still not bouts that wrestling fans would love to see again.

So, Omega to NXT? Unlikely, sure, but it would be all kinds of fun.

#4 Royal Rumble Winner

Kenny Omega to be a surprise entrant in the 2019 Royal Rumble?

Right now, all that we know for sure is that Kenny Omega’s time with New Japan Pro Wrestling is to come to an end when The Cleaner’s NJPW contract expires at some point this January. Other than that, all other stories are merely speculation or rumour for now.

The big point being, we don’t actually know when exactly in January Omega’s New Japan deal runs out.

Of course, on the imminent horizon, we have one of the biggest shows of the wrestling calendar: the WWE Royal Rumble.

Taking place on January 27th, the Rumble is many fans’ favourite PPV of the entire year. And either if Omega’s deal expires before then or some sort of agreement can be worked out, The Big Bout Machine could shock the wrestling world by being a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble match itself.

In fact, as of this writing, certain betting websites have Omega as the fourth favourite to win the entire Rumble match. If that does indeed somehow come to pass, then that is a major shake-up for the direction of the WWE going forward – plus, it gives fans the jaw-dropping prospect of potentially seeing Kenny Omega vs Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 35.

#3 The Reunion

The chances are, if you’re reading this article then you may well have heard of a little wrestling faction by the name of Bullet Club.

Right now, the WWE has several Bullet Club alumni within its ranks, and many fans have been clamouring for the company to do something with these superstars over the last year or two. Sure, we may get a nod and a wink to the Biz Cliz at certain points on WWE programming, but fans are left painfully pleading to see Finn Balor and The Good Brothers properly reunite on WWE TV. Then, of course, there’s AJ Styles and even Adam Cole down in NXT who have all been a part of Bullet Club.

To be fair to Cole, he’s doing well with his own stable right now, and then Styles has clearly been doing just fine for himself as the top star on SmackDown over the past year or more. But Balor, Anderson and Gallows? All three have been poorly used for far, far too long.

So how about it then? Omega comes in, heads to SmackDown, Balor is traded over to the blue brand ASAP, et voila – there you have a group that could soon make SmackDown and WWE must-see TV once again.

#2 SmackDown’s Top Star

Following the absence of Roman Reigns on Raw, the red brand has been accused of lacking star power in recent months. As such, many are speculating that AJ Styles could well end up switching from SmackDown to Raw at some point in the near future.

Given that Daniel Bryan is now a preachy environmentalist heel, any loss of Styles would leave a massive hole at the top of SmackDown’s babyface contingent. Step forward, Kenny Omega.

Even if The Phenomenal One does happen to say on SmackDown for the rest of 2019, there still needs to be another babyface to challenge Bryan. Granted, names such as Jeff Hardy and Rey Mysterio can serve as placeholders, but there’s a void when it comes to other legitimate main event good guys on the blue brand.

Once the Bryan/Styles feud is done and dusted, D-Bry is going to need a top tier babyface to go up against at WrestleMania and beyond. We could certainly watch Bryan vs Styles time and time again in terms of match quality, but there has to be another challenger to step up to battle the American Dragon.

Kenny Omega landing on SmackDown to instantly become its hottest babyface? Going up against the likes of Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton, Andrade “Cien” Almas, Samoa Joe, and Shinsuke Nakamura? It’s a complete and utter no-brainer!

#1 The Saviour of Raw

Is Kenny Omega the saviour that Raw needs?

As 2018 came to a close, WWE alarm bells were ringing as their Raw flagship show slumped to record low rating after record low rating. The show has been painful to watch, with the three-hour runtime a total killer for creativity and for freshness.

Sadly, the three-hour Raws aren’t going away any time soon, but there are ways to make the show more enjoyable and to deliver audiences an all-round better product. One such solution would be to bring in a saviour of sorts…

Chris Jericho has famously made a career out of “saving” wrestling audiences, but it could be his Wrestle Kingdom 12 opponent, Kenny Omega, who could be the real saviour of WWE in 2019. And more specifically, he could be the breath of fresh air that the Raw brand needs.

If introduced in the right way, The Cleaner is capable of instantly becoming the hottest thing on WWE TV. With Raw so in need of a top star, a performer to drive the brand forward, and quite simply a talent and character who would have audiences tuning in and eagerly awaiting next week’s show, Omega fits the bill in every possible way.

Would Vince McMahon and his ego allow a relatively small, non-WWE-created grappler be the focal point and top star of his flagship show? That’s the $64,000 question. But right now, McMahon is running out of options as his viewership figures continue to plummet.

Edited by Vikshith R