Damien Barling: Alpha And Omega
Not since the summer of 2011, when CM Punk dropped the somewhat groundbreaking "Pipe bomb" promo, has one professional wrestler captivated the main stream audience the way Kenny Omega does now.
Kenny Omega is not signed with WWE. He's not signed with TNA or ROH or any other North American wrestling company. Until Jan 31 Omega is signed to New Japan Pro Wrestling, the biggest pro wrestling company in Japan and, probably, the second biggest wrestling company in the world.
The issue with NJPW is it's only American television show is a dated program that airs matches anywhere from 6 months to a year old on a channel called Axis TV. That is, until last Friday.
On January 4th, NJPW put on its biggest show of the year, Wrestle Kingdon - their version of Wrestlemania. Inside the Tokyo Dome, Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada headlined a card that saw several great matches. But all would pale in comparison to the 47 minute masterpiece Omega and Okada put on to close the 5-hour plus show.
For those unfamiliar with Japanese style wrestling its like the perfect blend of wrestling and mixed martial arts. They call it "Strong Style". The moves are really stiff and the illusion that two guys are beating the crap out of each other (most of the time they are) is never lost.
This match featured everything. It started with a flashy Terminator - style entrance from Kenny Omega and built to a frantic final 20 minutes that brought you in and got you wrapped up in a story you couldn't anticipate the conclusion to.
Okada went on to win the match but it was Kenny Omega that left the biggest impression.
Omega is a 33 year old from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He's been wrestling since 2001, with stints in the WWE's former development company Deep South Wrestling, as well as Ring of Honor and PWG.
The day after the January 4th spectacular Axis announced it would air the match, in its entirety, on its Friday broadcast with their American announcers, Jim Ross and Josh Barnett calling the action.
That same day Omega wrote on Twitter that "I will be stepping away from Japan to reassess my future. The path of my journey may change, but my goals will not."
Later he wrote, "There is no plan. My schedule is cleared and I'm weighing all options. I've got a lot to consider."
John Cena tweeted a picture of Omega. Seth Rollins said in a WWE.com video he wanted him in the Royal Rumble (again, Omega is under contract until the 31st, 2 days AFTER the Rumble).
Here's the unique thing about Kenny Omega's position. The WWE is the Mecca of everything professional wrestling. The exposure is greater, the marketing machine is untouchable, and the money, for a star of his caliber - is likely unmatchable. The problem with Omega in the WWE is he wont have the creative freedom to do what makes him great. His match against Okada couldn't happen in WWE. It was too long and too stiff for their programming. Don't get me wrong, Omega vs AJ Styles, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, even John Cena, would be incredible.
On the other hand, New Japan is desperate to expend into North America. If that Axis time slot becomes up to date programming NJPW immediately creates an alternative, I mean, an entirely different product, to what WWE presents. Kenny Omega may very well be the man who could lead the expansion effort.
What Omega does over the course of the next 2 weeks may very shape the future of professional wrestling in the United States.
Image Credit: Flickr User Courtney Rose
