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It has been rumoured that the WWE has already tried to sign Kenny Omega, offering him a lot of money. It has been rumoured that Kenny Omega rejected that offer, and will sign with All Elite Wrestling when he is able to. Not to put too fine a point on it, but that would seemingly preclude Omega from winning the match.
However, let us assume that WWE makes Omega another offer, one that is simply too good to refuse. Kenny Omega's NJPW contract expires at the end of January. The Royal Rumble is on January 26. Not to put too fine a point on it, but that would seemingly preclude Kenny Omega from entering the Royal Rumble match, let alone winning it.
However, let us assume that WWE reaches a deal with NJPW, and buys out the remainder of Kenny Omega's contract. How would they book his run? I know how I would.
#5 Kenny Omega enters and wins the Royal Rumble Match
If Kenny Omega does sign with the WWE, it is going to be for a whole lot of money. So what do you do to get a return on that investment if you are the WWE? You book him to make the biggest splash possible. You book him to debut at the Royal Rumble, and you book him to win the whole thing.
Whilst Kenny Omega is a cult-favourite, and will soon be the hottest free agent of all of professional wrestling. Every professional wrestling company in the world wants to sign him. NJPW fans love him. Hardcore fans rave about him. But casual WWE fans? Casual WWE fans have likely never heard of Kenny Omega.
Kenny Omega winning the Royal Rumble match would instantly legitimize him as a main-event player in the eyes of the entire WWE Universe. Kenny Omega winning the Royal Rumble match would also guarantee that at least one world championship match at WrestleMania will be excellent.
And it will create a truly unforgettable moment. So imagine this, the Royal Rumble match is going on. The ring is full of competitors. The buzzer hits. The lights go out. Cue new music. Kenny Omega's name flashes on the screen. A few seconds later, Omega himself walks out onto the stage. Kenny Omega last eliminates John Cena to win the match!
#4 AJ Styles defeats Daniel Bryan to regain the WWE championship
The stars have aligned. Kenny Omega has signed with the WWE. Kenny Omega has entered the 2019 Royal Rumble match. Omega has won the 2019 Royal Rumble match. Which champion does he challenge? There can be only one man. The Phenomenal AJ Styles. This would require Styles to defeat Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble, but is that so improbable in a world where Kenny Omega has won the Royal Rumble match? From where I'm standing, that sounds more than probable, it sounds like a distinct likelihood.
This match-up would see two of the very best wrestlers in the world face off against each other. It would also give the WWE casual audience someone to cheer for if they don't take to Omega (which is why it must be Styles, and not uber-heel Daniel Bryan). There is an added layer of intrigue for the more hardcore fans, given these two men's shared history with Bullet Club in Japan.
WWE has shown that it is not averse to catering to hardcore fans invested in other promotions; AJ Styles' faced Shinsuke Nakamura at WrestleMania last year in a rematch. They could top it this year. Omega and Styles have never faced each other before. It would create a true WrestleMania moment.
#3 Fleshing out Kenny Omega
Kenny Omega is going to be treated like a conquering hero by the hardcore WWE fans. He will get extremely loud reactions, and the hardcore fans will likely go into a frenzy every single time he is in the ring. That is very good, excellent even. You want your fans to react to your new signing that you have paid a lot of money for. The same new signing that you are giving a monster push to.
There is only one problem with this. A lot of casual fans do not know who Kenny Omega is. That is certainly not something you want for one half of your WrestleMania WWE Championship match. The obvious solution would be to turn him heel, but Omega has main-event babyface written all over. Moreover, as stated, a lot of fans will want to cheer him.
Kenny Omega must explain his motivations to the WWE fans. He must explain why he came to the WWE, allude to his past history with AJ Styles, and talk about how much beating him would mean to him. The WWE must give him a chance to connect with the audience every week; through promos, or interviews. Kenny Omega must also wrestle every week. Every single week. He can face a variety of superstars on the Smackdown Live roster, and he must defeat them all. This will allow the fans to decide whether they want to cheer Kenny Omega or boo him.
#2 Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson must get involved
If the WWE is going to tap into Kenny Omega and AJ Styles' shared NJPW history, they may as well do it properly. That means involving Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson in the storyline. Casual fans already know about Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, and AJ Styles because their friendship has been established in WWE kayfabe. They memorably spent a portion of 2016 beating up John Cena.
Hardcore fans know about the shared history between these men in NJPW. They know that Gallows and Anderson joined Omega in kicking Styles out of Bullet Club. All the WWE needs to do is establish that Kenny Omega knew Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson in Japan and that Anderson and Gallows are not ready to take sides yet. Depending on crowd reactions, Gallows and Anderson can ally with either Kenny Omega or AJ Styles, thus turning them heel.
This adds to the richness of the story and creates a clear face, and clear heel. It must be remembered that the Shinsuke Nakamura versus AJ Styles match at WrestleMania last year would have been even better if there was a clear babyface to root for, and a clear heel to root against. This ensures that this story does not suffer from the same handicap.
#1 The WrestleMania match
It is unlikely that this match will main event WrestleMania; that honour will go to either Ronda Rousey or Brock Lesnar. Regardless, it will likely be one of the most promoted matches on the card, and one of the focal points of Smackdown Live in the build-up to WrestleMania. There will likely be duelling promos and sneak attacks.
WWE will no doubt put together an excellent video package. None of that will matter when it is finally WrestleMania 35, and the bell rings. Expectations will be sky high, and these two will have to deliver.
The entrances will be suitable epic; it is WrestleMania after all, the grandest stage of them all. The action will be hopefully scintillating. After twenty odd minutes of back-and-forth action, and possible Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson interference, there will be a winner, and there will be a loser. Kenny Omega will be that winner and new WWE Champion!
