Are Fan Expectations for Kenny Omega in
All Elite Wrestling too high?
I saw this post above on Twitter recently and was originally posted on Reddit by user U/Miber3 and it really got me thinking. It is interesting to see that Kenny Omega has a similar Singles record in both companies and a lower Tag Team win percentage in NJPW and the match rating is also very similar between both companies too.
There has been a lot of talk and a narrative from wrestling fans since Kenny Omega joined AEW. Fans had seen what he had done in NJPW and the epic matches that he had with Okada, Naito and many others and immediately expected the same in AEW.
Kenny Omega was expected to come into AEW and start straight off the bat having these epic matches but the expectation was unfair.
Kenny Omega was in a place of transition from being a wrestler to now being a wrestler and EVP of a brand new wrestling company, leaving Japan where we had been for a number of years and had a place of residence, to coming to live in USA and for the first time in his career appear on a weekly broadcast TV show on TNT.
AEW wanted Kenny Omega to play a different role to begin with, I believe looking from afar that they were using Omega in the same way as Chris Jericho. A wrestler that can have a great match with anyone and help put the spotlight on some new AEW stars and help develop, improve and enhance them - Omega role is very different in AEW than it was in NJPW.
Its not like Kenny Omega has not had great matches in AEW, his match with Chris Jericho, his match vs Jon Moxley was crazy and his match on Dynamite vs PAC to me has been the best match in AEW Dynamite History plus countless other matches in both Singles and Tag Team with Adam Page vs The Young Bucks got given 6 Stars by Dave Meltzer.
I think what people didn't understand is that Kenny Omega in NJPW was more than just epic 7 star matches in NJPW.
Omega wasn't just about great matches Some matches of Kenny Omega in NJPW were so entertaining. A match with Yano stands out to me in the G1 it was hilarious and didn't need to be mat classic, it was fun, that is what the audience enjoyed.Omega showed a different side to his wrestling persona he isn't just the best wrestler in the world but one of the most entertaining too.
Kenny, Nick and Matt in The Elite was on fire and one of the most entertaining things on NJPW and transcending NJPW and the wrestling world, helping NJPW World pull in more subscribers and setting records for new subscriptions and selling record numbers of Bullet Club merchandise worldwide for NJPW. They weren't just a great group of wrestlers, they were fun and again entertaining they were and are the whole package.
Alot of fans saw the 6 and 7 star matches ( I was there live in person in Tokyo at Wrestlekingdom 11 for Okada vs Omega) those matches were incredible, they were insane, but they were great stories too. They Built over time and had a backstory to them for Example Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks kicking AJ Styles out from the Bullet Club in January 2016 to the summer Kenny Omega going through and wining the G1 in 2016 to then having his title shot in Jan 2017 at Wrestlekingdom all the feuds built and have story, the story is key, the story makes you believe and the story is a key element you need to have an epic story and great wrestling to create the ideal moments.
The point i am making here is that you cant just have epic matches for Epic matches sake Does an Epic Match without an epic backstory mean as much - take away the story from Kenny Omega getting to Wrestlekingdom 11 does it mean as much? I think it doesn't.
Kenny Omega was used to having lots of matches a week, the NJPW schedule was brutal with sometimes 5 shows a week or more, with many Tag Matches or Multi tag matches so Omega is used to a hectic schedule and lots of matches alot of fans that watch AEW maybe didn't see those matches, they were very physically demanding they were a different style and not for TV in Japan. With all the respect in the world not all of these non televised matches were 6 or 7 stars and they didn't need to be.
Kenny Omega is a well rounded performer and i think a lot of fans saw the epic matches but don't see Kenny Omega for the well rounded performer that he is. He can do serious epic matches, he can do funny matches, he can do entertaining matches and promos, i don't want just "Epic Match Omega" i want all aspects of Kenny Omega the wrestler, the entertainer, the wrestler that makes you feel emotion and makes you believe in pro wrestling.
That is what Kenny Omega is about he isn't just about one aspect and people need to remember this. Fans will see all sides of Kenny Omega in AEW but they have to give it some time, AEW Dynamite has only been around for 10 months and has so much more to give.
AEW have a 4 year TV deal on TNT and they have to give fans things over time.
I think and feel that we will see more of Kenny Omega and the different aspects to his character and wrestling over this time, after all if this all comes in one go, then what else do you have left to give?
Its all about timing and doing the right things at the right time
Thanks for Reading
@jon422002
Jonathan Orchard
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