Evan Luebbe

A Chronicle of Kenny Omega’s Career

A Chronicle of Kenny Omega’s Career in Wrestling and how he has become the most Revolutionary Figure in the Business having never Stepped Foot in WWE as a Main Roster Talent

Rather, Kenny has spent the most notable part of his career thus far in New Japan Pro-Wrestling and has become an executive in AEW. He has also revolutionized the way stories are told in pro wrestling, opting to tell long-term stories.

Twenty-twenty five years ago it was commonplace to orchestrate shocking moments and storylines with the intention of generating a pop in the ratings for that particular week – this was during the Monday Night Wars of The Attitude Era. Starting about 10 years after this, Kenny Omega started patterning his career according to his own vision of what storytelling in wrestling should be. He approached his career from a long-term storytelling perspective, where many different layers and subtle nuances to storylines are hinted at over a period of several years. It is fundamentally a patient man’s game, because there are no immediate payoffs, but the end result is often greater and generates a higher level of investment from fans.

There have been many examples of this long-term approach to storytelling throughout Kenny Omega’s career. A perfect place to start delving into this methodology is by discussing what has transpired in Omega’s AEW career since the inception of the company at the beginning of 2019. Kenny’s tenure in AEW started quietly, but that was merely an example of him adhering to his long-term approach to storytelling, the methodology he has become proficient in.

During the first ever Double Or Nothing Pay-Per-View in May 2019, he delivered a fantastic match in the main event with Chris Jericho before they were both attacked by Jon Moxley. Omega and Moxley were scheduled to be in a match at All Out a few months later, but the match was postponed because Mox contracted a MRSA infection.

The two men met for the first time in AEW at Full Gear in November 2019 in an Unsanctioned Lights Out match which Moxley won (he is a huge proponent of the death match style). This story was put on hold for about a year before Omega won a number one contender’s tournament for the AEW World Championship. Who was the champion at that time? Moxley. Kenny Omega would take the title on December 2, 2020 at Winter Is Coming.

Jon Moxley is currently getting involved in The Cleaner’s storyline with The Elite on a weekly basis so they can build the story for their first Pay-Per-View title match at Revolution at the end of February 2021. Omega has brought The Cleaner persona to AEW after first creating this character in Japan, where the people at NJPW told him that his current character was “too bubbly” for Bullet Club and he needed a little more edge to his heel character.

Omega was able to sandwich an entire eight-month reign with the AEW World Tag Team Championship, with his partner Hangman Adam Page, in that year between his two encounters with Moxley. This run for Omega and Page with the titles was pivotal in the effort by Tony Khan (with influence from EVP’s The Young Bucks) to establish the tag team division within AEW as the best in the world.

Page is currently flirting with the idea of potentially joining The Dark Order (after the passing of their leader into the next life. Rest in peace Brodie), but may eventually find his way back into The Elite, since Kenny and Don Callis are always thinking macro in terms of how to revolutionize the business and fundamentally change the way people think.

Another possibility of someone who may find their way back into The Elite is Cody Rhodes. Cody was originally scheduled to team with The Elite against The Inner Circle in a Blood and Guts match at the end of March 2020 and was even being promoted as a member of The Elite. In June of that year Cody stated on Dynamite, “I guess I am not a member of The Elite anymore.”

Omega has always been looking to innovate and do things no one has ever seen before in the professional wrestling industry. A perfect example of this was his 2011 match in Japan with a nine-year-old girl. This was met with mixed reviews – younger fans of wrestling were more willing to accept the style because they had not as much of a preconception as to what wrestling was. On the contrary, veterans who had worked in the business for many years felt Omega was exposing the business. This goes to show that the way things are perceived in life are completely dependent on the perspective of people, their culture and willingness to accept something new.

Another example from the past of Kenny Omega’s willingness to try any and all forms of long-term storytelling is his tag team partnership with Kota Ibushi as the Golden Lovers in Japan’s DDT Pro Wrestling. They were able to do great things together winning many titles and revolutionized the way people think on many different levels. The Golden Lovers were together as a tag team from 2009 – 2014, disbanding when Kenny Omega left DDT Pro Wrestling,

Omega and Ibushi met later in 2014 after Kenny Omega joined Bullet Club. Kota Ibushi earned the opportunity to challenge Bullet Club leader AJ Styles for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, but Kenny would interfere in the match. He visibly hit a crossroads in his mind because his instinct was to do anything necessary to help AJ retain the title. He did not physically attack Ibushi, but one could intuitively determine that he was mulling over whether he had done the right thing, because the distraction Omega provided was enough to cost his former tag team partner the championship. Fate had brought the two men back together for a brief moment – this proved to be just another layer that was added to their story.

They would reunite one final time at New Japan’s The New Beginning in Sapporo in January 2018, four years after the tag team broke up. The moment was reminiscent of the WWF storyline in the 1980s between Macho Man Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth, which also ended with some people in tears because they were so emotionally invested.

Yet another example of Omega employing this long-term approach to storytelling over the years with many different layers, subtle nuances, and hints over a period of years is the way he became the ultimate leader of Bullet Club. When he first came to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, he was constantly being attacked by Prince Devitt (Finn Balor), the litigator of the stable at the time. As Omega integrated himself with the company, he eventually joined Bullet Club and overthrew the leader AJ Styles to become the leader himself in 2016 – nearly 2 years after he initially joined the stable.

In reality, this changing of the guard occurred as a subtle storyline intended to compensate for the fact that AJ Styles was leaving NJPW for WWE in January 2016. Shortly after that a sub-sect of Bullet Club called The Elite was born comprised of Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks. The show on the Internet Being The Elite caught fire and became a way for them to gain a significant amount of exposure across the entire world instead of just Japan.

Omega would also become the first foreign G1 Climax winner in NJPW history in 2016 before his match at Wrestle Kingdom 11 in January 2017 with Kazuchika Okada (which was rated six stars by Dave Meltzer), the first of four incredible matches between Omega and Okada. Omega was named Sports Illustrated‘s Wrestler of the Year in 2017 and Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s top male wrestling on its list of the 500 greatest in the world.

AEW Dynamite 1/13/2021: New Year’s Smash Night 2

The Build to Darby Allin-Brian Cage over the past 8 months was a much better story than the match which didn’t have a pop to it.

Thankfully, the match didn’t need to be great as Sting saved Allin by evening the odds and allowing him to pick up the improbable victory

The feud between Brian Cage and Darby Allin has been a well-thought-out, long-term story that has manifested over the past 8 months. It actually began in January – because Cage signed up with AEW then, but unfortunately, he found out soon after signing that he tore his bicep. Cage logically needed some time to heal from that injury before making his debut at Double or Nothing in May 2020, where he would go on to win a ladder match to become the number one contender for the AEW world championship. This was the beginning of his on-screen rivalry with Darby Allin, which was built with multiple tag matches over the next several months and also at All Out in September.

For the most part Taz – and to a lesser degree Ricky Starks (only because he has not been around for that long. This guy, however, might be the best promo in AEW) – are the reason Brian Cage is over the way he is. Taz is contributing to the business and leaving a legacy in the form of Cage and putting a new title belt on him. Cage already challenged Jon Moxley at Fight for The Fallen on the July 15 Dynamite where he was defeated for the AEW world championship.

Darby Allin just has a cool, unspoken vibe to his personality that neither I nor anyone else can adequately put into words. There is just some quality about the energy he puts into the world that nearly everyone can resonate with. It significantly helps that Allin has a small stature to him and creates the feeling that he is always the underdog – these two qualities make his character extremely easy to root for.

Kenny Omega and The Good Brothers, The Elite for the week, dominate as Omega teases dissension between him and The Young Bucks; The Lucha Bros assert themselves into the AEW World Tag Team Championship hunt, and Jon Moxley rates the next chapter in the rivalry between him and Kenny Omega over the AEW World Championship

Kenny Omega teased some dissension again within The Elite by talking backstage like he was going to team with The Young Bucks but instead chose to tag with The Good Brothers – Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows – and calling themselves The Elite. It will be interesting to see what the next steps will be for integrating the partnership between AEW and Impact Wrestling – Kenny Omega is already scheduled to appear at the next Impact Pay-Per-View Hard to Kill. He and Don Callis are taking creative command of the professional wrestling business with the goal of shocking people so they never know what to expect.

An Invasion angle may not be the route to go because it was already done between WWE and WCW/ECW in 2001 – and it didn’t work all that well (in fairness it could have if Vince McMahon would have allowed The Alliance to get the upper hand on WWE once in a while – the foundation of a good storyline is when each side wins some. If one side is crushed all the time, fans will soon lose interest).

Jon Moxley is going to meet Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship most likely at Revolution so Tony Khan has at least one opportunity to get his top two stars on Pay-Per-View where they can make the most money for everyone. This is the feud Khan likely had in the back of his mind as the primary rivalry he would build to when Moxley and Omega were first signed to AEW. The emergence of this rivalry is the culmination of several years of work to get this company going.

The Lucha Bros may be subtly hinting toward reigniting their rivalry with The Young Bucks. This story hasn’t been visited in close to two years. The Bucks defeated Penta and Fenix for the AAA World Tag Team Championship in early 2019 at Rey de Reyes and had a rematch at the first ever Double Or Nothing Pay-Per-View, which was won by The Bucks. Rey Fenix couldn’t get it done last week against Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship, so he is immediately turning around with his brother to go after the next best thing and to further solidify the AEW tag team division as the best in the world.

Chris Van Vliet’s interview with Don Callis really struck me as very poignant in terms of the way Don approaches life in general. He thinks on a deeper level that seems like a healthy lens through which to look at the events of life. From another perspective, this may seem a little arrogant, but the most important thing is that Don is happy with himself; and it seems he is very much so with a very introspective worldview. It is a loose perspective that does not put many limits on what is possible, not only in the wrestling business but in life. Callis’ goal is not to change how people behave but rather to change the way they think about the wrestling business.

I personally view the world as a mirror in which one of the primary goals is to understand oneself at a deep fundamental level (which unfortunately not many people take the time to do the necessary introspection). Ultimately, if this is achieved, you can eventually get to a point where you understand yourself so well that you see every person as a reflection of some aspect of yourself. One tactic that provides aid in this process is meditation/visualization – the benefits of this are incredibly underrated. Ever since I have started meditating, not necessarily every day but as much as I feel called to do it, it has been lifechanging, but one should not pressure oneself into meditating.

Each human being has the option to be in full control of his/her destiny if they so choose, but that does not come without having to earn each new set of circumstances one attains. No one gets anything just because he/she deserves it; the new set of circumstances is more rewarding anyway, at least from my own experience, when you legitimately earn it.

Lance Archer might join either Death Triangle or Eddie Kingston’s Mafia-style Family

Eddie Kingston could most likely sell people on his matches if he did nothing in the ring because he is one of the best on the microphone in wrestling. He has finally found his home in Jacksonville after bouncing around different companies for 18 years prior to that, and even challenging Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship in November at Full Gear.

Pac was forced to be away from AEW back home in the UK for about 8 months before finally being allowed to return to the United States and AEW. That’s why Death Triangle was on hold – because it was formed in March 2020 immediately before the pandemic started – AEW did a fantastic job in finding stories for The Lucha Bros to engage in during that time. When Pac was able to leave WWE and embody a more authentic presentation is when he was able to flourish – he looks to be enjoying life right now and that’s extremely encouraging.

Lance Archer is still not sure whether to trust Pac at the moment, but he is teasing an alliance with Death Triangle in the future.

The Ever-Consistent FTR gets a Victory over Two Young Stars of the Future

FTR vs. Jungle Boy and Marko Stunt was a much better match than most would have expected. AEW fans already knew what to expect from Dax Hardwood and Cash Wheeler as they have been unbelievably consistent since debuting in AEW in mid-2020, delivering classic matches with the likes of Kenny Omega and Hangman Adam Page at All Out to win the AEW World Tag Team Championship and losing the titles two months later at Full Gear to The Young Bucks.

AEW places a heavy emphasis on their quality of tag team wrestling – and has shown that to FTR through regularly featuring them on Dynamite, giving them adequate time for their matches, and pairing them with manager Tully Blanchard. So overall Hardwood and Wheeler are most likely much happier with AEW than they were with their former employer WWE, a company that does not place nearly as much emphasis on its tag team division.

Jungle Boy has what it takes to go with anyone – it doesn’t matter if he is small because he is more than capable of adapting to any style. We saw a classic example of that when he went toe-to-toe with Chris Jericho on December 18, 2019. Marko Stunt has also proven over the past two years that he is more than just a gimmick guy to accompany Jurassic Express. He is more than capable of holding his own in the ring with much bigger guys.

Things are looking up for the AEW Women’s Division with plenty of young Talent taking their time to get Accustomed to the Atmosphere of the Company

Serena Deeb, similar to FTR, has been incredibly consistent in AEW and NWA as the Women’s World Champion since October. The one thing that could use some work is her character development, but that will surely happen with time because a wrestler cannot be a champion for long without some sort of character development. Tay Conti, along with Anna Jay, has shown significant improvement on the microphone and in the ring over the past couple of months. At this rate, she could become a women’s champion within a couple of years. Things are looking bright for the AEW women’s division in the future; Britt Baker also has a major match coming up.

Miro looked dominant against Chuck Taylor, and he needed it. Best Friends have quite a bit of momentum built up after being booked favorably in 2020 – partially because of AEW having to rely so heavily on time in March – May with only one third of their Roster and being kicked out of Florida for about a month. To the credit of the Best Friends and Orange Cassidy they took the ball and ran with it

There will need to be some extra creative energy put into the presentation of Chuck Taylor in order to keep him afloat so he does not lose much momentum while Trent is healing from injury; maybe Chuckie T. can team with Orange Cassidy some weeks to fill this hole. Miro was the focus in this match as he should have been. He needed a victory to look strong in his presentation because he has been unable to get his sea legs underneath him since coming to AEW in September 2020.

The storyline with Kip Sabian getting married and Miro being the Best Man feels somewhat awkward and a little forced, so it might require at least a slight pivot; it doesn’t necessarily need to be scrapped altogether, just give Miro a little more TV time to develop his personality. That is if Tony Khan and the rest of the AEW executive are serious about presenting him as a star.

Mic Work is a Lost Art as New Forms of Media Amplify Wrestler’s Promo Voices

Mic work is a bit of a lost art which largely contributes to professional wrestlers not being able to get over as easily as they once did, but they are doing their best to leverage the various platforms on the Internet as well as television in order to get themselves over and make more money for themselves and for their company which is all that can be asked.

Promo work/character development is one aspect of professional wrestling that has suffered as the business has evolved over the last 30 – 40 years. It is a little bit counterintuitive because with the emergence of podcasts (WWE superstars such as The New Day and Alexa Bliss have their own podcast exclusive to them), YouTube as well as social media platforms in addition to the WWE Network. One might be inclined to think that the business should be in better shape than ever with all of these options for wrestlers to be able to promote themselves.

Unfortunately, professional wrestlers across the world have suffered largely due to Vince McMahon promoting professional wrestling to be presented just like a TV show since purchasing WWF from his father in 1984, emphasizing the entertainment aspect and setting the bar for other companies within that niche. As a result, many wrestlers are simply not given the adequate amount of time in front of viewers to make themselves into stars and get to the point where they control their own destiny in the business.

Back in the 1980s and 1990s, WWE use to have an entire day devoted solely to cutting promos and in the process superstars developed their character for a more authentic presentation. This would make the company as well as the performer more money in the long run because, if a performer has the ability to sell a match based on the story, then the audience is instantly more hooked because they have an aspect of the performance to emotionally become invested in. The end result is that more viewers are likely to buy what is being presented in front of their faces and that benefits everyone. It comes down to the story.

People like The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes and Hulk Hogan back in the day were given an entire day out of each week from 9 AM to 6 PM to do nothing but work on their promos, so everyone in the mix became excellent at it. If they were given that much time to work on it, they could not help but get better. There are people in the business today who are excellent on the microphone, but it’s not everyone like it used to be.

A true testament to how great the someone is in this department is when they can significantly elevate the status of a match or feud that is not very good or well put together. Unless you are someone like Roman Reigns, Drew McIntyre or Kenny Omega, there is not quite enough TV time for people to be able to shine; that’s why they need to continue to leverage any and all platforms on the Internet to further their characters, and, in the process make more money for themselves and for the company they work for.

Nakamura and Cesaro as Singles Competitors Once Again?

It’s an Exciting Potentiality to think of Nakamura and Cesaro as Singles Competitors Once Again

When in singles, that’s where both of these guys are at their best from an athletic standpoint; maybe not in terms of character-sizzle, as Mr. McMahon calls it.

Shinsuke Nakamura turned heel in 2018 at WrestleMania 34 in a dream match with AJ Styles for the WWE championship (Nakamura won the 2018 men’s Royal Rumble match in January). It might be rather poetic then for him to turn babyface in another encounter of a potential dream match with Daniel Bryan in the gauntlet match to determine the number one contender for the Universal title at Royal Rumble 2021 on the January 8 SmackDown. If WWE were to move forward with this plan of turning Nakamura face, the tag team between him and Cesaro would likely split. Their tag team is a heel team, so it doesn’t make much sense to keep them paired together through a face turn.

The team of Nakamura and Cesaro was formed at the end of 2019 to serve as backup for Sami Zayn because WWE didn’t have anything else planned for these three men. Nakamura and Cesaro won the SmackDown Tag titles at The Horror Show at Extreme Rules in July and would hold the titles until October when they dropped them to The New Day – Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods.

The idea of Nakamura potentially turning face as a singles competitor opens the door for the possibility of Cesaro becoming a singles competitor also and establishing himself as a legitimate threat for the Universal championship. Even if this does not come to fruition, Cesaro could be expected to stand up to the Head of The Table for attacking his friend within the next couple of weeks leading up to the Royal Rumble 2021.

While the door has absolutely been open for Nakamura to be positioned as a top babyface contender to Roman Reigns’ Universal championship going forward, Adam Pearce is being positioned as the challenger for the title at Royal Rumble. While Shinsuke would be the choice if Mr. McMahon were purely booking the event for the better match, Pearce undoubtedly provides the more intriguing story and draws more eyeballs to the company. The five-time NWA world heavyweight champion/former PWG world champion on the independent scene should be able to provide a decent match at 42 years old.

Pearce is currently playing the role of a subordinate employee who does not have much more power than is being given to by higher-ups in WWE. He was introduced as an on-screen authority figure in the summer of 2020, and he has executed his heart in the story well. This upcoming Universal title match against Roman Reigns was most likely the primary reason Adam Pearce agreed to participate in this on-screen storyline; because anyone would relish in the opportunity to work with the top superstar in WWE.

A New Babyface Star On The Main Roster

Damien should debut on the main roster any time now after New Year’s because Mr. McMahon wants to create a new babyface star on the main roster

According to multiple reports, Damian Priest was scheduled to debut on SmackDown on New Year’s Day in the main event segment with Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns and get involved in that storyline as Kevin Owens’ friend, but it was scrapped at the last minute. Dave Meltzer claimed on Wrestling Observer Radio that Reigns and Owens were at least partially responsible for the angle being scrapped. Reigns feels there is no point in adding a “random person to the main event mix.” Priest well likely be headed to RAW instead.

Meltzer stated, “WWE had decided this idea that we need to make stars on SmackDown… we need new babyface stars. It’s kind of like somebody asked, who can be the next new babyface in NXT that can come on the main roster,” and the guy was Damian Priest. So they had a story where Damian Priest was supposed to be Kevin Owens’ best friend (similar to how Chris Jericho was back in 2016 – 2017) and he’s helping him against Roman Reigns and Jey Uso. In fact, they were going to do a tag match on the show Friday night and Damian Priest is there and Randy and all that. Kevin Owens said essentially that it makes no sense for him to be my best friend, what do we have in common, why would he be my best friend, we can do it but why is he my best friend? Roman Reigns agreed and since it’s Roman Reigns, it was nixed. I don’t know where Heyman stood on it but, it was nixed.”

It is encouraging to see that Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens were treated, at least in this scenario, so leniently and were given some form of creative freedom. No superstar has ever had that level of pull regarding creative direction aside from Stone Cold Steve Austin (who earned the trust of the boss many times over throughout the years. He orchestrated his own heel turn in 2001. It was not as successful as he predicted, but it was a massive step in terms of earning Mr. McMahon’s trust).

Regardless of this situation surrounding Damian Priest, he likely participated in his final NXT match at the New Year’s Evil event in which he took a loss and put over Karrion Kross. This match had a similar feel to Matt Riddle’s final match in NXT in June when he made his departure by putting over Timothy Thatcher. Based on this result, Priest might be expected to make his debut on the main roster.

AEW Dynamite 1/6/2021: New Year’s Smash

Just as AEW did with Fyter Fest in early June 2020, New Year’s Smash will be held across the first two episodes of Dynamite in 2021. Chris Jericho was on commentary for Night 1 of this event. Jericho was pretty damn good on commentary when he first started doing it with Tony Schiavone and the initial months of the pandemic at QT Marshall’s gym, but he has improved exponentially albeit with a small mishap on December 30 (emotions were extremely high so it can be excused). Rest in peace Brodie. Many people are better because you graced this earth for 41 years.

Kenny Omega and The Elite are revolutionizing professional wrestling by partnering with Don Callis and Impact

Kenny Omega might be the greatest and most innovative World Champion in the history of the wrestling business – for any company, in any part of the world. His subtle character evolution since Dynamite began in October 2019 has been spot on tied to his relationship with The Young Bucks going through the various ups and downs like a brotherly relationship. This week it came to fruition that The Elite will align in 2021, because after all, they are a family (everyone can resonate with that).

Omega’s relationship with Hangman Adam Page also didn’t necessarily dismantle. Each man just wanted different things at this point in their careers. Omega was made to be a World Champion; Page more so wanted validation and to achieve a moderate amount of success, but his character knew full well – at least subconsciously – that there was a ceiling to the amount of success he could achieve and keep his sanity.

The on-screen relationship between Kenny Omega and Don Callis, and for that matter the working relationship between ATW and Impact, was most likely planned well in advance and is just now coming to light because Kenny and Callis are essentially like an uncle and nephew. In the 5.5 weeks since Omega won the AEW world championship, he has unleashed an extremely arrogant side of his character that has never been seen before. It took a while for his character to get to this point, but it is thoroughly entertaining now that it has.

No one would have anticipated that the release of The Good Brothers, Anderson & Gallows, from WWE in April right after WrestleMania could have been the best thing for their careers nine months later now that you have aligned with The Elite. This was probably in the works when they were negotiating their contracts. I’m assuming that’s why they were so excited about signing with Impact.

It’s likely that Tony Khan wants to continue the rivalry between Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley over the AEW world title, because they are the two biggest stars he has so it makes good business sense. Moxley and Omega will most likely meet on Pay-Per-View for the first time at Revolution. This match has far too much money written on it for the company not to orchestrate, and now is the best time to do it.

Regarding the title match this week between Kenny Omega and Rey Fenix, this may not have been the match of the year, but the two men did the best job they possibly could have with the time they were given and that’s all that can be asked. Fenix has been a star in the making for quite some time and has been oscillating between tagging with his brother and chasing titles as a singles wrestler; this began during his time in Lucha Underground several years ago and has only expanded from there.

As far as the actual match, two moments in particular stood out. The first was the point dead in the middle of the match when Kenny was dumped on the back of his head by a German suplex. The second was at the end of the match when Fenix paid tribute to Eddie Guerrero with the shoulder shimmy (Eddie Guerrero has been featured before on TNT when he was with WCW in the late 90s). Those are the moments that really resonated with me, and I know they have to with many others, because I believe that all human beings are simply reflections of other aspects of myself; the same could be said for you reading this piece from me.

Fenix had an AEW World Tag Team Title shot early on in 2020 when Kenny Omega was one half of the champions and could not get it done. He lost to Omega at Full Gear in the number one contender’s tournament, and now a title match. There might be a bigger story brewing between these two men that will play out in the future. This reunification of The Elite, along with the partnership between AEW and Impact, could be the beginning of another golden age of professional wrestling; this is a great era to be a part of.

Promotion for Cody Rhodes’ and Snoop’s TV show; in addition, the talent level of Matt Sydal is highlighted

Snoop Dogg’s splash off the top rope on Matt Sydal might have been the most fun moment of Dynamite. He was getting very much into the role of coaching Cody Rhodes during the match in promotion for the Go-Big Show on TBS. Cody Rhodes looked great as always in the ring, but Matt Sydal showed AEW fans exactly why he has been overlooked for years and should absolutely be booked higher on the card. It was very generous of Tony Khan to give Sydal this large of a spotlight after many months of not being featured as heavily in the company; this man is clearly one of the most underrated performers in professional wrestling.

Christopher Daniels and Kazarian have been so consistent for so long, they have earned a title match with the best tag team in the world. The Young Bucks took a step later in the night to ensure that the story between the two teams will be easy to understand by turning heel with the rest of The Elite

Christopher Daniels is 50 years old, so it might be a now or never thing for his tag team to challenge The Young Bucks for the AEW World Tag Team Championships. Right now it does not make much sense from a character perspective since they are both clearly faces; but anymore there is such a grey area for professional wrestling characters that it’s starting to matter less and less which side of the fence you are on as a character. Daniels and Kazarian will challenge The Bucks at Revolution for the belts, but they will have their backs until then.

One reason The Bucks aligned with Omega and The Good Brothers, other than the fact that The Elite is family, was so they could become the clear-cut heels in the current feud with SCU. The roles in the story will therefore be more well-defined and it will be easier to follow; this now opens the door for SCU to become the faces in the current story which they are best at anyway.

MJF might be trying to disband The Inner Circle from within

MJF is seeking to systematically destroy The Inner Circle from the inside. Two developments in this story happened this week; the more obvious one is that Wardlow defeated Jake Hager, 2 inner Circle members battling and planting the seeds for an even bigger rivalry to manifest in the coming months. The subtler aspect was that Maxwell Jacob Friedman earned the trust of Hager by calming him down after the loss and at least appearing sincere (we all know he wasn’t. After all, he is an arrogant and entitled a**hole).

Maxwell also did a similar thing with Santana and Ortiz a couple weeks ago by consoling them. When MJF and Wardlow finally dismantled The Inner Circle in a few months, Sammy Guevara and Ortiz will be gloating in Chris Jericho’s face about how they were right, and they knew MJF wasn’t trustworthy. The male obsession with being right all the time will cause the group to break up. Santana might even get annoyed with Ortiz and that tag team might break up; that’s a big if because they work so well together and AEW takes a lot of pride in its tag division being the best in the world.

Better days could be on the horizon for the AEW women’s division; this division is not short on talent, just on character development and a little more attention to detail could be useful

AEW is heavily leaning on Shida to be the face of the women’s division, and she is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon. The women’s division overall is not in a particularly strong state, not because it doesn’t have the talent, but because the characters have not been developed as well as the men. Clearly, not as much time has been spent on the women’s side of things.

There are some incredible talents like Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. (the most established character on the AEW roster among women), Penelope Ford (impressed in a title match with Shida in June) and Big Swole, so there is hope that this trend of not focusing as much on the women will eventually be reversed but this is just the way it is right now. This is not necessarily a bad thing, it will work as out in time just like everything does in life; even someone like Kris Statlander who tore an ACL back in June 2020 will be returning in a couple months, so she might significantly help things pick up in the women’s division.

WWE RAW 1/4/2021

Drew McIntyre was challenged by Goldberg this week on RAW, which wasn’t a swerve by the company. The decision was made just two days before RAW on the previous Saturday because ‘they had nobody ready for anything’ according to Dave Meltzer on the latest Wrestling Observer Radio. This was also a case of Mr. McMahon overriding WWE creative, because the creative team isn’t particularly high on Goldberg main eventing the Royal Rumble event with Drew McIntyre.

After all, WWE is Vince McMahon’s company, so he has the freedom to override the creative team whenever he pleases; maybe become a bit of a Jerry Jones-type owner. There are plenty of similarities between he and Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys. Both men insist on being heavily involved in the inner workings of their respective businesses and are not necessarily content to just merely be the owner.

Roman Reigns was the most logical opponent for Goldberg next, whose contract runs through 2023 on at least two matches per year. Goldberg was originally supposed to have a match with Reigns at WrestleMania 36 but that was nixed when Roman made the decision to step away from WWE during the initial months of the pandemic to care solely for his newborn twins (completely understandable). The Head of The Table, as far as I’m concerned, should be applauded for putting his family first and having his priorities in line).

In the meantime, Braun Strowman served as the substitute for Reigns as Goldberg’s opponent for WrestleMania 36. As it turned out, some good did come of WWE’s top dog not competing at Mania – which is ironic because on the surface, that appears to be a bad thing. WWE ironically created a brand new main-event superstar, and Strowman came into his own during his four months as Universal champion.

Braun was told by Vince McMahon at the beginning of 2019 that he was not yet ready to become Universal champion. He was not 100% sure of himself – he was still thinking a little too much about the moves he made. The methodology of the business had not become implicit to The Monster.

It’s now set in stone that Goldberg will challenge McIntyre at Royal Rumble. If McIntyre were to retain the WWE championship, he would almost definitely go on to defend it at Mania, and in the process he would become nearly as big a star as Roman Reigns. On the other side of the coin, if Goldberg wins the WWE championship from Drew McIntyre at Royal Rumble (which I believe is most likely); he most likely does not have the stamina anymore, at age 54, to be a viable champion past WrestleMania 37.

Bill Goldberg is probably fully aware of this; we can look at his recent track record as champion. In March 2017, he won the Universal title from Kevin Owens (ending his reign of over six months) and dropped it at WrestleMania 33 to Brock Lesnar. Goldberg followed the same pattern in 2020 when he won the same title from The Fiend (that’s another story in itself as the booking in that match was questionable) in February 2020 and held the title until WrestleMania 36 before putting over Braun Strowman.

If Goldberg wins the WWE championship from McIntyre at Royal Rumble, history would dictate that he would drop the title at WrestleMania 37. He has followed that path the last two times as champion. This brings up the question of who Bill Goldberg would face at the biggest show of the year. That’s where someone like Randy Orton would fit perfectly for two reasons. It makes sense within the context of the story because Orton could wrap up his current storyline with The Fiend/Bray Wyatt right before Mania and immediately segue into a rivalry with Goldberg.

Second, and more importantly, Bill Goldberg has spoken about how much of an honor he would view it if he had the opportunity to work with Randy Orton at this stage in his career – because Orton is clearly working at another level right now. Orton is coming off the best year of his career in 2020, so it makes sense that Goldberg is interested in engaging in a rivalry with The Viper, and hopefully some of that positive momentum Orton has going for him can rub off on Goldberg. Goldberg worked indirectly with Randy Orton in 2003 when he was primarily feuding with Triple H. Bill Goldberg would view it as an honor to have the privilege of putting over Randy Orton as a 15-time world champion.

It is also worth noting who Goldman mentioned when asked who he would like to work with in the future. His top list was: Roman Reigns, Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton. The McIntyre program has already begun with others on the radar in the future. Some people in the business, like John Cena, do not even like to acknowledge all the hypothetical possibilities that may exist. Some people often take the perspective of “control the controllable” and to let the rest work itself out. John takes the grounded perspective of just taking what is in front of him and making it the best possible outcome.

Categories RAW

WWE SmackDown New Year’s Day 2021

Mr. McMahon was deciding between Roman Reigns and Big E as the last two men in the decision-making process for who was going to be the next face of WWE after John Cena in 2015. It has been a slow but steady rise to the top of the company for Big E, but any intuitive member of the WWE universe could have inferred that (it’s still not complete until he wins a world title – that will happen when the time is right). As Paul Heyman alluded to a couple of weeks ago, this Intercontinental championship victory last week was the first step for E in reaching the same status as Roman Reigns.

The last time the current champion won the IC championship he held it for roughly 6 months, so he might hold the same title this go around for the same amount of time or longer to give him credibility as a champion right now and as a Universal champion in the future. 2021 is off to a great start for E, and this might be the time in his career that he remembers most fondly when it is all said and done. The New Day will be a wonderful chapter in his career (and maybe the most fun), but it will probably not be what he is most fondly remembered for.

Overall this is an absolutely fantastic time for SmackDown because the brand is led by two of its top athletes and most dynamic characters – Roman Reigns as Universal champion and Big E as Intercontinental champion. It is finally starting to pay off for Big E after 8 years on the WWE main roster, now it will be rather poetic if an incredible worker and surprisingly charismatic Cesaro were to experience something similar in the next couple of years. Cesaro is a man who has spent a significant portion of his career (just like Big E) as a tag team wrestler, largely with Sheamus as The Bar.

Big E will begin his second Intercontinental championship reign by defending against Apollo Crews just two weeks after winning the title on Christmas Day. It is very encouraging to see Apollo being spotlighted again by WWE after not having been featured on WWE programming since September when he feuded with Bobby Lashley over the United States championship on RAW. Crews was drafted to SmackDown in October 2020 and is beginning 2021 the right way with an intercontinental title opportunity. This is also the first Apollo has been used in the months since he switched brands in the draft.

Crews has moved between RAW and SmackDown more times than most people care to keep up with since being called up to the main roster from NXT in 2016 (right after WrestleMania 32). He was drastically underutilized on the main roster until the night after Mania 36 when he defeated Aleister Black (who Mr. McMahon is not particularly high on). The vibe and in-ring style Black presents are almost tailor-made to what Triple H and Shawn Michaels want to present in NXT but not as much for the main roster. Black has asked WWE management about returning to NXT, but he was told no.

Crews has undoubtedly had the greatest year of his WWE career so far, having become United States champion (his first title on the main roster). Right now the 33-year-old is kind of in the same boat as Ricochet, another former United States champion who Mr. McMahon is also not particularly high on. According to the Chairman of the Board, Ricochet was always more of a Paul Heyman project, so the push of The One and Only slowed along with that of Aleister Black when Heyman was relieved of his duties as Executive Director of Monday Night RAW.

Paul Heyman was only in charge of the booking duties for Monday Night RAW for a little over a year, but it doesn’t make much sense right now because the ratings for the program were experiencing a resurgence with Paul in charge. New superstars were being focused on and that was drawing many viewers. Now Monday Night RAW is in the proverbial toilet right now from a ratings perspectives (the program received its lowest rating in its history on December 14 of 1.527 million viewers).

But for right now the primary focus is Apollo Crews who Mr. McMahon is high on (there have been no reports to the contrary) and will be challenging Big E next week for his first intercontinental championship. It would also be his second title on the main roster.

WWE RAW 12/28/2020

Randy Orton and Alexa Bliss played with the emotions of the WWE universe, at least for a night with some great promo work before Monday Night RAW went off-air

I have a theory about the segment that took place this week as RAW went off the air in which Randy Orton set Alexa Bliss on fire (or at least that’s what WWE was intending to portray – this did not happen of course). My theory is that this segment is receiving a significant amount of criticism because much of the WWE universe was emotionally touched by the segment in some weird way, and not many people know exactly how to react to these emotions, so some people are lashing out at the company.

Many people are saying that this cliffhanger was purely an attempt to desperately garner more viewers, and that may be true to some extent, but many people who critique this failed to recognize how effective it was at the same time. It made everyone – including me – envision a reality without Alexa Bliss at least for a night (even though everyone over the age of 10 knows full well that the world of WWE is fictional), and no one likes it – not even me. The intention of this segment was to get people to tune into the program next week, and it worked very well.

Keith Lee defeats Sheamus in a number one contender’s match to challenge Drew McIntyre for the WWE championship next week as we kick off 2021

Keith Lee has taken a massive step in his evolution to ultimately become one of the top few superstars in WWE. Will he ever be the face of the company – probably not – but he will be an integral part of the next generation of the company. One technique he uses to calm his mind is meditation – another top-level athlete who uses this technique is Aaron Rodgers who is the favorite right now in the NFL to win the MVP award. In addition, I meditate quite often myself, so I know from first-hand experience that this is an extremely effective tool. There is no right or wrong way to do it, all you need to do is make the decision to do it.

As Mark Henry and so many others have said before, this man could be the standard of what big men are capable of in the future. In terms of the booking decision this week for WWE to have Lee go over Sheamus to earn a WWE title opportunity next week, it would have made more sense for Sheamus to get the opportunity. The only event that transpired recently that made this make any sense was the fact that The Celtic Warrior was booked rather poorly on the December 14 edition of Monday Night RAW when he took a beating with a chair while he was hung up in the ropes. On top of that, he didn’t even come to his friend Drew McIntyre’s aid later in the night. Looking at this in hindsight, this may have been enough to stop Sheamus’ momentum at least for the time being.

As another small sidenote, the December 14 edition of RAW was also when WWE received a record low viewership number of 1.527 million. It was a great decision for Keith Lee to get the victory if one takes the perspective that WWE was making a concerted effort to create a massive star in The Limitless One roughly 4 months after his debut on the main roster. In that time, he has earned victories over Randy Orton (in late August at Payback) and now Sheamus, to established superstars, and now has earned his first WWE championship match to begin 2021. Some positivity can be found in any situation – all one needs to do is find the right perspective to choose (and it may vary from person to person).

Even though Keith Lee began 2020 by winning the NXT North American championship, he will not win a title to begin 2021 because WWE is firmly behind Drew McIntyre as the top guy on RAW to carry the company through the rest of this pandemic and beyond. After all, Mr. McMahon has been extremely high on McIntyre for over a decade.

WWE seems intent on booking McIntyre vs. Lee vs. Sheamus at Royal Rumble for the WWE championship to wrap up the friendship storyline (both challengers are friends with the champion but do not necessarily get along).

Asuka has been extremely reliable and has carried the WWE women’s division since May when Becky Lynch announced her pregnancy, even though she has been overshadowed by other women nearly the entire time

Asuka has been the RAW Women’s Champion throughout Becky Lynch’s entire pregnancy – since the Money in the Bank Pay-Per-View in May – but she has been overshadowed in nearly every storyline since becoming champion. Since winning the title back from Sasha Banks at SummerSlam, she has not been the primary focus of any of her feuds but rather they have all been focused on the challenger. The rivalry with Sasha Banks and Bayley was all about them, then she put over the now-released Zelina Vega, followed by the storyline that was all about getting Lana over before WWE found out about the return of Charlotte Flair (after successful plastic surgery).

At this point, WWE is building toward Flair becoming RAW Women’s Champion (possibly at WrestleMania). This would be a great idea if the company decides to do it, but the creative team is surely well aware that Charlotte defeated Asuka for a women’s championship at the same event just three years ago. Maybe put the title on a different superstar before if that is indeed the plan. Asuka’s contribution has been incredibly underrated across the second half of 2020 as she has kept the RAW women’s division afloat and helped to create new stars.

Ricochet loses again to RETRIBUTION, and seeing that he might ultimately join the group and give them some much needed momentum; AJ Styles defeats Elias – Ricochet is most likely the next generation’s version of AJ physically, the one wrestler who is head and shoulders above everyone else

Similar to Keith Lee being the future of what big men can do in wrestling, Ricochet is the future standard of what a normal-sized man can do in wrestling. Shawn Michaels was the “standard” who was ahead of his time. AJ Styles is filling that role right now for the current generation of wrestlers and has been for many years. Ricochet is next in line to become the leader of the next-generation for in-ring work. There is just something different about this guy and the way he moves and can contort his body because most humans can’t do that.

Mustafa Ali defeated Ricochet this week and it appears as though he is going to eventually convince The One and Only to join RETRIBUTION. Maybe the addition of Ricochet will give the group the juice it has been missing so that they can fully get over with the WWE universe. Ali’s promos have only been able to compensate so much for the inconsistent 50/50 booking. The group is having a hard time gaining and sustaining any momentum since they take losses so often and are straining to gather four or five victories in a row. The WWE universe doesn’t know how seriously to take the group.

Elias is on the rise, and the addition of Jaxson Ryker adds a major amount of credibility to his overall presentation. The fact that The Drifter was booked in a match with a superstar as high up the ranks as AJ Styles is evidence. Elias is not yet at the level of The Phenomenal One, but it would be a very realistic goal for him to reach the status of a United States/Intercontinental champion by the end of 2021.

Categories RAW

Loss of the Great Jon Huber Shakes the Wrestling World

Jon Huber (Mr. Brodie Lee in AEW, Luke Harper in WWE) abruptly dies at 41 years old due to a non-COVID related lung issue, leaving his wife Amanda and two sons shocked

Jon Huber was experiencing an incredible resurgence in professional wrestling with AEW as Mr. Brodie Lee. Before that, he experienced major success as Luke Harper of The Wyatt Family (along with Bray Wyatt – the leader – Erick Rowan, and Braun Strowman (who joined the group later in 2015). Most recently, his dog collar match on AEW Dynamite with Cody Rhodes for the TNT championship in October was an instant classic. My heart goes out to his wife and two sons (and his soul as well – wherever it is currently residing) because I am deeply saddened to learn about his death.

From what I have read, Jon was an incredible father. Chris Stewart will touch on this by saying that some human beings are just too good at heart for planet Earth. Huber touched many lives throughout his 41 years, and at the end of the day that’s the primary goal people should seek to accomplish in life-improving as many lives as possible while they are here on this earth in whatever way is authentic to them. Even though I don’t technically work for the business yet, I still feel like this man was a part of my extended family.

Bray Wyatt issued a quote about Brodie’s death. He appears to be deeply hurt and slightly confused – regardless of what his emotions are regarding this, he will most likely find a creative way to incorporate the passing of his dear friend into his WWE storyline whenever he returns. This unexpected and rather tragic event may serve to provide even more validity to the possibility of Bray Wyatt/The Fiend returning to win the 2021 men’s Royal Rumble match. It was already almost guaranteed that Bray would undergo a significant character evolution after The Fiend was burned by Randy Orton at TLC (it was a dummy because the match was taped earlier in the day), whether that means the end of The Fiend or not.

In All Elite Wrestling, Brodie Lee’s most notable contribution was the mentality he brought. He had the gift of elevating everyone around him and doing what was not only the best for himself but what was best for everyone in the company and launching them into stars. A perfect example of this was back in August when John Silver and Alex Reynolds participated in a match on Dynamite one week against Cody Rhodes and Matt Cardona. Cody and Matt got the spotlight that week, but one could not help but be impressed with the performances of Silver and Reynolds, who were still working for AEW under part-time contracts at that time.

The primary reason they were signed as full-time talents was that Brodie Lee was paying attention to the match, and immediately after he told AEW executives that they should consider signing those two guys (it has clearly worked so far). John Silver is often overlooked for his lack of height, but he is a fireball in the ring. What makes him so unique is that his character is somewhat of a heel during his backstage promos, but when he is performing he does it with such a palpable level of passion that it comes across as more of a babyface character, so he is therefore teetering on the edge of the face – heel dynamic (this is almost commonplace nowadays because there is such a grey area).

Silver, the 29-year-old, was quoted saying that he wanted to pay tribute to The Exalted One (who made The Dark Order into a legitimate group single-handedly because they did not have much momentum prior to Lee’s debut on March 18) on the December 30 in addition of Dynamite by becoming a workhorse for this particular match and hopefully sustaining that style every week.

RIP Jon – your contribution to the world of professional wrestling will always be remembered!

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Disclosure: This site is not affiliated with WWE – just a diehard fan writing commentary on events.
 
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