The importance of Kenny Omega to AEW’s start was pivotal to help add momentum. Omega was arguably the biggest star in New Japan as his contract expired. The option to become an Executive Vice President and a top name to help the company thrive led to him signing with Tony Khan's new business venture. Omega was the hottest free agent in wrestling and also wanted to work with his best friends of the Young Bucks.
The popularity of Omega played out for AEW to continue building momentum with other top stars like Chris Jericho, Cody Rhodes and the Bucks. Omega recently found a new groove as a heel figure holding the top gold. Recent news stories have implied that Kenny may be viewing this as his final top title reign.
His Brutal Past Is Catching Up
The body of work for Kenny Omega in New Japan over the past few years saw him in harder matches than most wrestlers will experience throughout their entire careers. NJPW is known for the strong style matches of hard-hitting action running long. Not every show will feature matches going 30-to-60 minutes, but that is expected on the major events.
Omega moving into the main event picture led to him becoming synonymous with show-stealing classics. The legendary series of matches with Kazuchika Okada provided intense action and helped expand NJPW into North America by becoming must-watch television. Omega continued to have matches that put his body on the line most nights.
Top programs with Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi and Tomohiro Ishii put more wear and tear on Omega’s body more than the average wrestler his age. Omega didn’t want to take any steps back during his rise to the top as the first foreign IWGP Heavyweight Champion since Brock Lesnar. The NJPW chapter of Omega’s career provided bumps and bruises that still haunt him today.
AEW World Champion
The AEW World Championship has been quite protected when it comes to the names holding the strap. Kenny Omega defeating Jon Moxley led to his heel turn as the most hated man on the roster. The match quality of Omega has remained top-notch with his battles facing Moxley, Orange Cassidy and PAC throughout the past few months.
Recent interviews have indicated that Omega’s body is in rough shape. Omega appeared before a live crowd at AEW’s fan fest podcast show flat out admitting that he doesn’t know how much longer he can continue wrestling at a top level. The main event matches of a company that relies on work rate to stand out will always see high impact moves.
Omega already discussing potential plans for his wrestling future is not the best sign for someone in their prime. The AEW World Championship reign of Omega is something he takes pride in since he played a huge role in the company building from the ground up. Omega took a huge risk leaving a top role in an established promotion like NJPW due to his belief in the vision of Tony Khan for AEW.
The Future Of AEW
It would be ignorant to assume Kenny Omega will retire any time soon despite the aches and pains coming with the job. Omega can have an easier time getting through his matches if he wasn’t in the highest-pressure role of being the AEW World Champion. There are plenty of other positions on the show that wouldn’t require the longest or hardest-hitting match on the show.
Omega would thrive in the tag team picture with plenty of wrestlers due to his dynamic ability to adapt to others. The six-man tags with the Young Bucks as The Elite does add some pain to the body, but he can let Matt and Nick Jackson take the bigger bumps to make it work. Even an upper mid-card role would see Omega helping the TNT Championship with his name value in shorter matches.
AEW has a blueprint to create a deep roster of top stars in the future. Names like Darby Allin, Orange Cassidy, MJF, Jungle Boy and Britt Baker have already taken big steps forward in the long-term booking. Adam Page seems like the obvious candidate to eventually dethrone Omega eventually.
The AEW World Championship has seen Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley move on to other things after dropping the belt. Omega is likely not going to win it back any time soon with many other stars in a position to follow. There is a good chance this will be the final world title reign of Kenny due to his body’s wear and tear and AEW’s planning to build around new talents at the top.