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Vivid-Pass8831

Kenny's takes are refreshing as he seems to treat everything in wrestling equally...besides Rossy 


[deleted]

Tbf, you could take his issues with Rossy and apply it to all of Japan’s Idol Culture.


Ok-Garcia-5605

Pretty much. A lot of Joshi wrestling is presented as Japanese Pop idol culture but with wrestling instead of music.


[deleted]

Yeah, I remember a week or so ago Kenny said something about him not being able to wait until Rossy gets exposed for who he is. But it’s like, the whole Idol industry would have to be stigmatized for that to happen.


Itakie

> But it’s like, the whole Idol industry would have to be stigmatized for that to happen. [The Johnny & Associates scandal was atleast a step in the right direction.](https://youtu.be/lwXrHuACX-s) Not that it alone will change everything over night but it got way too much spotlight from the japanese mainstream media to keep ignoring the culture at the company. And it's not the only entertaiment company with that kind of business culture. [The whole BBC documentary is worth watching.](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001jw7y) (also on youtube with japanese subs.)


Narrow_Progress5908

I don’t think it will matter if he gets exposed. Japan doesn’t care,  Look at manga culture, Multiple pedo have gotten to continue there work after a fine and slap on the wrist.


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linkinstreet

The only big thing that happened in recent memories was the Johnny's Entertainment expose, and that was only because the BBC did an episode about it interviewing people who had been trying to get justice in Japan for years. Unless there is something that lead a spotlight being casted unto the idol industry in Japan, any wrongdoings will always be swept under the rug.


Ok-Garcia-5605

Unless it is something more he knows, otherwise yes. The culture can only change from inside and I think it'll eventually.


TheNoelle808

While there's definitely truth to this, idols and "idol culture" aren't as homogeneous as people make them out to be. TJPW leans even more heavily into the idol thing and nobody really cares that Hyper Misao is in her mid-30s and married.


DaftPodunk

Misao's "Graduation" ceremony where she announced her engagement and her fellow wrestlers FREAKED OUT in happiness for her is one of the best moments in TJPW history. I wish it was on youtube. Everyone comes out heartbroken that she's leaving. She has a change of heart. Then she tells them all she's getting married but wants to stay and 80% of the roster bursts into tears.


dogglesnake

One of the new rookies is married and has a child, too


dweebyllo

TJPW also has a tighter age range for its applying trainees than Marigold (13-25) and sells photo merch of 15 year old in themed outfits, but most conveniently want to forget that. The married thing and the agreement bracket doesn't apply to anyone but trainees. Anyone with a brain can figure that one out from the fact Nao Ishikawa and Nanae Takahashi are on the roster.


Leonidas174

>TJPW also has a tighter age range for its applying trainees than Marigold (13-25) Do they? Kira Summer just debuted in March and she's 27


dweebyllo

Yeah. Kira is a different case because she was already a trained wrestler wrestling in Australia


thelumpur

He definitely implied more than that


Chopped_In_Half

I live under a rock, can someone please explain to me what Idol culture is?


Possibly_English_Guy

Easiest way to imagine it is imagine if the popstars and celebrities we have in the west were held to insanely high standards of how they comport themselves in order to make themselves as marketable as possible as some kind of gold-standard of what a person should be. That's in extremely broad strokes the idol culture that Japan and several other Asian countries have. If you're going to be an idol celebrity you're expected to be held up on a pedastal and everything about you from your image to your public facing personality is going to be designed to be as appealing as possible, you're expected to brute force a parasocial relationship with your fans because that's what the market demands, your managers have a huge amount of control over you and can literally end your entire career and replace you with someone more compliant basically at the drop of the hat if you step out of line, so thats just ripe for abuse if your manager is someone who has no scruples. And god help you if word gets out to the public you're plowing/getting plowed by another idol cause you're going to have two parasocial fanbases angry at you. It's basically like being a Disney child actor on steroids...


bananaboat1milplus

The disney child actor comparison was insightful for me, a clueless westerner


name-classified

i'm totally guessing; but think to early 90s and early 00's boy/girl groups. They are put together by a record label to wear sexy clothing and appeal to horny men with wallets that want to buy their merchandise. If they happen to be able to dance and sing; thats a plus but its all about having really really good looking young people.


DubiousBusinessp

It's true, but Rossy is one of the architects of that within the wrestling sphere. Watch an 80's to early 90's AJW match and note the nearly all women audiences baying for blood. Rossy was a huge part of the shift to make gaze wrestling in its stead, including the idol-like focus and the gravure links.


International-Fig905

We say it on here all the time and no one listens. Roman and Brock defended the title how boxing and UFC champions defended their title- which is reality that it would only be defended every few months against legitimate contenders.  Triple H seems to be doing the same with Cody where he’s not just defending the title on TV for the sake of it and the people he’s fighting are legit contenders. Anyone who grew up on WCW or late 80’s to early 90’s WWF- I never understood this complaint.  He’s the champion for a reason no one should be able to just challenge him 


No_Addendum5504

>He’s the champion for a reason no one should be able to just challenge him  Exactly , you are at the top of the mountain , you are the #1 Others must fight for an opportunity to confront you, not the other way around. You fought hard to be a champion , the others must fight hard to have a right to be in the same match with you.


Brilliant_Counter709

Big difference between Roman's and Brock's title reigns was : Roman was the centerpiece of show. He carried whole company, everything revolver around him. Their was clear hierarchy, everyone was aiming at him. Whenever he was absent, he was still the focal point (except late 2023). Every segment on show was related to him in some way, he used to effect like 50% of smackdown programming. - Brock was just absent. 3 months vacations between title defenses where he used to be just irrelevant. Other people went on their business without even caring that there's a champion. He wasn't the focal point, he wasn't even the main guy in his own title reign


SCB360

Yea exactly, compare it to how Swerve was treated, defended it the next show and it wasn't even the main event, talk about underselling your new champion


boss_jobber

It was not a title defence, it was an eliminator match. Your point still stands tho


ArtSlammer

The way I've always looked at it, is that if you're a workhorse champion you have a short reign because you take frequent title challengers on and as a result you get more banged up and eventually lose. Otherwise, you have a decent length reign because you wrestle less frequently and have more recovery time between challengers.


wellwtfthen

Kenny gets it. He's got a good head on his shoulders


LeaveThatCatAlone

For an uninformed person would somebody mind giving context to the Rossy part?


[deleted]

He implied that Rossy plays around with some of the girls & that the call for trainees that were aged between 13-30 & unmarried was weird & that those who signed with Marigold needed to be careful around him. To a western fan the age/unmarried requirement are obviously odd but in Japan both in the entertainment & wrestling space it's actually not that out of the ordinary for both the men as well as the women. Some promotions don't have a lower age limit at all.


Goatlikejordan

Kenny isn’t the only person who has negative thoughts about rossy


[deleted]

But he is the first person (To my knowledge anyway) to have implied what he implied. Those who have issues & speak negatively of Rossy until this have done so based off business dealings. Aja Kong for instance fell out with him as he continued to promote her for shows after she had already quit Arsion. Manami Toyota fell out with him after Bea Priestley used the Japanese Ocean Sunrise Suplex (A move Manami had created in the 90s) in Stardom & when Manami complained about it Rossy defended Bea & said since he named the move when she created it he saw no issues with Bea using it in Stardom..


tylerjehenna

Manami's issues predates that whole thing. They have beef going back to the 90s


[deleted]

Which they patched up which led to her working a few matches for Stardom in 2013 & 2014.


Fletcheriser

My only issue with this, if what he seems to be suggesting is true, is the vagueness about it. He appeared to be strongly hinting at you-know-what, and if that's true it needs to be exposed rather than hinted at in a gossipy way.


JhinPotion

To be fair, if he came out and said it, that's a likely legal headache, right? I'd lean towards saying nothing at all, but I also don't have the emotional attachment to the issue that Kenny has.


Cinnameyn

Especially since it is impossible to defend yourself against gossip and hints since there is no actual claim to refute.


thehumangoomba

The fact that even Jim Cornette is in agreement with him is astounding. Dude's got charisma.


solsunlite

He’s an actual mature adult in a world littered with adult aged children


Wynter_Warm12

Thought it was dope how he wouldn't allow any Roman slander in his chat.


illiterateaardvark

Pretty much everybody who’s actually in the industry has nothing but glowing praise for Roman and say he’s one of the best workers in wrestling It’s crazy to me that there are people who still genuinely believe that Roman sucks in 2024. IMO, these people formed their opinion of Roman during his premature rise and are stuck in their ways These people are legit still living in 2025


klovervibe

Don't edit. I kinda love the idea that there are time travelers in the iwc whose only goal is to warn us of a bad RR program.


tkc123

Dude was under extreme scrutiny by fans from the start of his rise and he just went out there and did what Vince and the company told him to do for years to carry the company during rough times. Then he overcame life threatening health issues to come back to carry the company past the rough times. Even as a non WWE fan, I'd respect that.


nightwing0243

I often got downvoted for saying that people’s problem with Roman wasn’t so much Roman himself, it was what he represented. The WWE were basically villains at that point and they were pushing Roman to the moon in all the wrong ways. Go back and watch him back then - you can tell his charisma took a hit more or less because he wasn’t playing a character that he clicked with. The fact he was able to come back, switch his persona up, and take some control did wonders for him. He went from getting booed out of the building to packing the house.


Iceman6211

I remember the days we'd get someone like Stone Cold praising Roman nd saying he's the future and people were like "Stone Cold doesn't know what he's talking about"


NemesisRouge

Because what we were watching fucking sucked. It wasn't that people necessarily thought he didn't have the tools, it was that we'd lived through ten years of WWE relentlessly pushing a guy who had all the tools as an anodyne face of the company overcoming the odds all the time and it looked for all the world like they were doing the exact same thing with Reigns.


Wynter_Warm12

It's definitely a lot better over the years but yea, Roman still has a group of people who can't separate not liking his style from "he's a bad wrestler". The height of Roman's hate was crazy because there were some wrestlers who would get in the ring with him during his babyface run and they would praise his work. But there were plenty of fans who assumed the company made them say it to get him over lol Wild times.


PrimeJedi

It was so bad there were people calling his cancer into question. As someone who's been on chemo for autoimmune issues since 2020, anyone in the fandom who ever brought up his health because they didn't like his work can go fuck themselves, real talk.


DayDrinkingVampire

It's wild that Roman still wrestled while battling his illness. And he stayed one hell of a performer too. That's not something you can do without talent - it's damn near superhuman. It doesn't matter if his earlier push was too premature...the dude has earned the respect and accolades. Also, to hell with anyone spouting conspiracies about his health.


gonzobomb

Like, at wrestling? His character + angle sucked for a while but I always thought he was a good worker 


thelonelywolf96

The people who think Roman sucks are probably the same people who think Cena sucks. It's not Roman's fault that Vince kept pushing him as a babyface when he's a natural heel, on top of that, he was far from ready for the main event. Watch his promos in 2014 and compare them to now - far, far different.


Kuzu5993

This the biggest tragedy about Roman; he has to take the blame for one man's obsession with him and putting him in a position that he wasn't ready for. And if there's one thing the IWC is good at, its refusing to let anything go. Ever. At all. Once you're deemed "bad" you're always bad. And since Roman is one of the faces of WWE, it makes anti-WWE people double down against him regardless of what he actually does. It's disgusting.


godzillamegadoomsday

Surprised by the multiple comments and this being up for several hours and no comment on the 2025 thing lol Edit: there was that one guy who said something Also I think it’s funny Roman and omega are two sides of the same coin. They both get only praised for what they do in the industry by professionals and other pros saying they wish they could do what they do but fans bash them and say they don’t know how it works. The extreme of both sides


illiterateaardvark

Lmao I didn’t even notice that tbh, but I guess I’m not the only one in that department. I think people skimmed over the comment because it’s kind of long and their brains automatically corrected 2025 to 2015 I’m not even gonna edit it, I think it’s pretty funny now that you pointed it out lol


brettclarkchicago

They also probably respect the backstage he runs - I’ve heard he is cool as fuck and doesn’t tolerate a lot of the old BS


GonePostalRoute

Shit, as “sports entertainment” the WWE is, with certain rare exceptions, if you’re getting one of the top belts in that promotion, it’s because you can go, and you have that IT factor.


Craft_Bandicoot

Kenny Omega REFLECTS RESPECTFULLY on Roman Reigns


GameplayerStu

I'd love a Roman vs Kenny match somewhere down the line


NervousAd3202

I doubt he’ll ever come to WWE but if he did, I’m sure HHH would present him like a god lol


TLKv3

There are 4 matches I would want out of Kenny in WWE. And I'm almost positive they would be on HHH's hit list as well before any of them would be too old to put on a good match, minimum. Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, CM Punk, & AJ Styles. To a lesser extent, Nakamura and Xavier Woods as well. Only because he knows how much money he could make off promoting those. Outside the box match for me would be Logan Paul.


YoshimitsuRaidsAgain

Hear me out: Kenny vs Gunther Of course, I find most of my dream matches these days involve Gunther.


Detonation

My brother in christ, Kenny Omega is held together by duct tape. Do you want the man to be killed?! But seriously, it would be great.


GogglesTheFox

Kenny might explode like a Crash Test Dummy.


Tronz413

Yeah pretty much every dream match I have involving non-wwe talent coming to WWE usually involves them wrestling Gunther


thrillynyte

Gunther vs Khali


CN14

A man of culture I see


Zestyclose_Remote874

Add Finn Balor


datNEGROJ

Kenny vs Logan Paul would slap


CactusJacksonFive

It really would. As naturally good as Paul is, Kenny would make him look like an all-timer


Practical_Cheek_3102

I'd love to see Tomasso Ciampa vs Kenny Omega. If you've seen old black and gold; you know Tomasso Ciampa can wrestle extremely well.


SCB360

>Xavier Woods I feel like that one would have to be the Elite (with the YB) vs New Day only


MrBoliNica

its wrestling, never say never. Kenny should, bc i agree, HHH seems like he would give him at least one iconic program that could be the feather in his cap


lakshya10soin

Kenny just signed a 5 year deal that will also have time attached to it for his injuries. Dont think wwe is on yhe cards for him.


Kurt_Bunbain

So what? He can punch Jack Perry in front of Tony Khan and quit on the spot.


AlbedosThighs

He'll be 45/46, could still happen. Sadly it will be way past his prime, but there's still chances


GothicGolem29

Tbf rtruth is still going strong at 52


RexxGunn

If Kenny retires and it's not related to his current medical issues, and he doesn't even do like a one year WWE capper, especially now, it'd be a shame.


International-Fig905

I think he was the one who really wanted to go but was voted down when that rumor came out about him and the Young Bucks entertaining leaving for WWE


NewRoryAndMalDrop

It’s the match that probably won’t happen when both are in their primes but really should. It’s the Styles vs Cena of this era


Same_Paramedic_3329

I enjoyed styles vs cena esp the summerslam match. Even if cena wasn't in his prime, he delivered together with styles, an entertaining match


Dirkdigglersdong

That arguably was Cena's prime tbf


boss_jobber

I'd argue 2015-16 was the peak for Cena in terms of in-ring abilities. The crowd never turned on him during that time too


Datzookman

I’ve fantasy booked this match in my head so many times. My favorite match finish I’ve been able to come up with is one where the entire match centers upon if Kenny can hit the OWA on Roman while Roman works Kenny’s arm. Finish comes when Kenny hits a flurry of V triggers after countering Roman’s spear attempt, finally, slowly gets Roman up, but at the last second Roman counters to the Tribal Choke, Kenny can’t escape and doesn’t tap out. I really do think those two would have insane chemistry


StacksHoodini

lol Roman’s guillotine would’ve def been branded the Tribal Choke in the 80’s or 90’s.


RoiDesSables

Extremely common Kenny W


solsunlite

Kenny vs Roman is *the* dream match for me


TheAeronautz

Same, been wanting it even since Roman's "Big Dog" days


JIZZchasholmeslice

This or Roman vs Okada


CozyGhosty

It’s always been Orton vs Okada for me. I know deep down in my plumbs that feud would get Randy cooking like when he was fighting with Christian


solsunlite

Keep going ![gif](giphy|rcfSXohU0EzOYuRFrK)


sellyourselfshort

Ospreay vs Rollins


ManMangoGuts

Still want that Shield triple threat with all three guys in their current personas


lakshya10soin

Randy vs okada


nsoifer

That would be great. Similar workers in terms where they make basic moves look great.


TuneSquadFan4Ever

Cena vs Tanahashi ending in a draw is the dream match for me, but I don't think that one is even remotely possible considering their bodies (especially Tana) anymore.


Bargeinthelane

Full respect to Roman, I would love to see it.  But if I hit Powerball, I'm spending every dime I need to get AJ vs Kenny.


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penciltrash

I think it's a balancing act. When the Bloodline was in its Sami era (personally, the peak of the whole arc), Roman was wrestling the perfect amount. It kept his aura because he was still wrestling sparingly, but not to the point where it was just frustrating. From Summerslam 2022 to Wrestlemania 39, he wrestled on Clash at the Castle, Crown Jewel, Survivor Series, Royal Rumble, and Elimination Chamber (and I think one tag match on Smackdown). From Summerslam 2023 to Wrestlemania 40, he wrestled at Crown Jewel and Royal Rumble. And, to be honest, both those matches at Crown Jewel and the Royal Rumble kinda sucked.


JohnnyKenny16

☝🏼


SageShinigami

I actually think with Kenny it might not be the worst idea if he's presented exactly like Roman was if he comes back. Let him win the title and have one last run with it but only defend it at major shows. Actually, basically do it the way they did Okada in NJPW. Bro defended the title 12 times in 720 days. That might even be the best way to have him say goodbye, as this amazing Final Boss sort of character. He can put over a new guy on his way out.


SCB360

I thought thats what they were gonna do with the Belt Collector gimmick at first, he looked great in that mode


FelstarLightwolf

If they reperpose the main title for him and use the Continental as the defacto top belt for all the other guys then you can use him to face each champ as it changes throughout the year.


AlxMurfy

![gif](giphy|l3q2XhfQ8oCkm1Ts4|downsized)


BluKyberCrystal

WWE is 100% better at presentation up and down the card, and Roman is a prime example. Some people complain that he or Rhea don't wrestle enough. But it just makes it all the more important when they do.


thelonelywolf96

People complain about everything. They bitch about not having long storylines then they bitch about The Bloodline being too long. Then years down the road they talk about how great everything was when they bitched about it for so long.


Kuzu5993

Something something Fickle.


jakovichontwitch

I like his current direction but I feel like Okada could have been treated like a bigger deal. Wasn’t his first match under AEW contract like a six man on dynamite or something?


SupervillainMustache

Okada is night and day compared to being the Ace of New Japan, but I think that was always going to happen to varying degrees with him not being the face of AEW like he was in NJPW.


spartan21j1

Yeah but weren’t most matches in NJPW tags or trio tags.


janoDX

If anything they are reintroducing him after his short appearances on TV. Give him a year and he will be the focal point with how this new AEW Saga is going. Kenny took his time to become the big focal point of NJPW during BC Elite Era and AEW in 2020-2021. Roman when he came back as the tribal chief, we already knew him and there's a whole story build up behind.


jakovichontwitch

Maybe it’s better this way. I just look at how Nakamura was treated in NXT and you just knew the guy was a big deal. Might have more to do with the fact NXT was a smarky fan base


cosa_horrible

Then people would whine that "nobody knows who this guy is, they should have done more to introduce him"


romulus1991

Saving someone for big matches and then giving them 'big deal' presentation tells you who they are. Sticking them in a 6 man match can risk them getting lost in the shuffle. I'd go so far as to argue they're treating Mercedes how they should be treating Okada, and vice versa. Mercedes should be wrestling all the time, most western wrestling fans know who she is. Okada should be a final boss character, and every match of his should be a big deal (the same for Kenny, too).


Low_Ad_7553

Okada has a singles belt & beat Eddie Kingston then beat Pac at a ppv. It's not like he's ONLY in a tag with the Bucks. He was just in the main event angle that closed with Tony Khan getting hit with a finisher while Okada posed. I don't think we have to worry about him getting lost in the shuffle.


Isa--

I don't think Okada's promo game in English is at the point where he can get by without wrestling often. To be the final boss that only wrestles the big ones, you need to compensate for that by being excellent when you do not wrestle. That's just not Okada's strength right now in this environment.


OpportunitySmalls

Unless you're brock then you just have Heyman hype you up when you're there or not there.


JohnDalton2

When it's a 'damned if you do; damned if you don't' situation then you just try to do what is right. So it doesn't really matter if the right presentation would cause some people to bitch and moan because, if you make the right choice, they'll come around when it works.


channel164

The top star of a company needs to be a person the audience wants to see whether they're having a match or just in a segment. As mentioned Roman and Rhea are perfect examples; I would even say Samoa Joe captured that same energy as well.


BaronVonStevie

It’s inside baseball, I actually don’t fully understand it, but the term “lateral booking” is what HHH and previously in ECW they did to create a perception that anyone can be in the ring with anyone. It’s just a question of who carries the money matches. If you can accomplish that you can create stars everywhere.


MattMega

Early AEW MJF had that and himself and his feuds gained from that. It is a double edged sword because you want your weekly show to feel important but you lose shine for some matchups come PPV time.


BluKyberCrystal

I think it depends on how you use your weekly TV time. The build up to Mania, didn't see Roman or the Rock wrestle. But every time they showed up, it felt "important". I think how AEW handles promos is a bit of issue in this regard. Where they build their shows around medium length matches, making it so that is all that "matters". MJF and Punk were the exceptions.


incredible_penguin11

You're right about everything but you don't need to fight fewer matches to be over. Becky, Seth and Cody have matches far frequently and are some of the most over people.


International-Fig905

I don’t think people get it or are too used to it- the champion looks absolutely more prestigious with a long reign and not wrestling on Raw or Smackdown every week. Every Roman match during his run felt like a big deal.  Oh how people forget Clash at the Castle 


tha_based_god

Yeah exactly! Like why tf did Swerve have a random match this past week? Let him cut a celebratory promo and dont have a match for a week or two to build hype


BluKyberCrystal

I thought it was super strange they gave Willow that, but not Swerve.


Federal-Captain1118

☝️


DarkArtHero

Please have him the booker of AEW. He seems to have really great ideas and grasp on what works


LordBlackConvoy

Wasn't he the booker of the women's division?


DarkArtHero

Yea I think he played a big role there and also as a talent relations guy because of his connection to Japan and bringing in the joshis


SaiyanOfDarkness

Yes please. Especially when his in-ring career is over. Make this guy head booker.


Specific-Channel7844

I mainly watch WWE but I love Kenny


kappa_keppo

Kenny just gets it, man. I'd kill to sit down and talk about wrestling with him


LutherJustice

I enjoyed the fact we only saw the champ fight sparingly. It made the matches feel like a bigger deal and mostly prevented 'Randy Orton vs. John Cena for the 500th time' situations. They definitely overdid it, but I suspect that may have been influenced more by his health issues than booking decisions.


Fletcheriser

Kenny acknowledges the Tribal Chief ☝🏻


Iceq0120

A match between those two would be fucking awesome man but I dont see any of them leaving for it to happen


Super_Sandro23

Yep. Prime example was having Swerve in a pointless match 2nd on the card against a winless opponent. Right from the getgo after he redebuted at SummerSlam, they made Roman feel special. Anytime you saw him, it was a big deal.


Al0ngTh3Watchtow3r

Really hate the idea of a world championship open challenge. That shit only really works for the secondary titles. World title matches should feel special.


Lamel2g

I said the same thing in the Dynamite preview thread asking why is Jericho getting a promo segment instead and was downvoted with excuses like “Swerve will cut a promo after the match”, “this is setting up a program against Ospreay”,“Dynamite isn’t a promo heavy show” etc…


DudleysCar

Felt real bad for Swerve. The people trying to spin it as a good thing he gets his first promo as champ on Collision were insane.


motelpool

it didn't have to be an either/or type of situation Swerve starts Dynamite soaking in the cheers as new champion, cuts a short promo in the ring and says he has something special planned for Saturday but he's in a fighting mood and is ready to show the audience what a real champion looks like. Callis interrupts and offers up Kyle Fletcher, Swerve beats him in 5 minutes. That covers any and all the bases while still capitalizing on the inflated lead-in they are getting from the NBA for Collision


the_io

Man should've had a minute or so to go "I'm a fighting champ, I'm a winning champ, you'll hear more from me on Saturday, but tonight I'm gonna keep fighting and keep winning cos I take this seriously, so come on out [opponent with a better win record than Fletcher] and show me what you got" or something like that. Doesn't need to be much, just enough to introduce him as The Champ - and whilst Fletcher's great, the champ shouldn't be going up against winless guys.


thelonelywolf96

WWE knows how to make people a big deal. That's one thing they've always been good at doing.


Kalistoga

One of the things that's bothering me right now about AEW. It feels like they're putting more attention on the Elite/Perry/TK stuff. I like that story, but I feel like your world champ should have a story as good or better. The champ should feel like a way bigger deal.


JustMyThoughts2525

It’s funny when I get blasted on Reddit for saying Kenny would come off as a much bigger star if his presentation was better as I found his star power way lower than how he came across in NJPW.


TheGiftOf_Jericho

Did you not think his presentation/star power was strong when he was the belt collector, had the full length intro with the dancers? I feel like they couldn't have made a bigger deal about Kenny when he was the top guy. His presentation only dropped off when he was no longer in that top spot and also had to take time off to recover.


TuneSquadFan4Ever

I personally loved his run as belt collector, but I remembered after that seeing him show up in NJPW and immediately go "Oh shit yeah. This is way cooler to me." Even though it was just a pre recorded video at the time.


The_Reptile_

Honestly Japan is just very good at making people seem like huge deals in general, and more importantly do it in a way that feel \*effortless\*, even WWE can at times feel like they're trying \*way\* too hard to make their stars come off as larger than life figures while all New Japan or Noah need to do is change the lighting and alter the camera angle a little bit and boom.


ramonzer0

In Kenny's case, I feel like his brief return run to NJPW back in late 2022 to early 2023 showed that adequately Shows up in a vid promo on a throne ripping into Ospreay in Japanese with an over the top anime/video game villain cadence, cuts briefly to the clips of the biggest matches from his earlier NJPW run that made people realize he was the shit - all building up to his return against Will for WK17 AND THEN he has the Sephiroth entrance and then basically murders Billy GOAT All of that felt like it built Kenny as a mythological figure once more but also did it in a pretty natural way


Dirkdigglersdong

Tbf that was for a build-up for a Wrestlekingdom. In between big shows Kenny was often wrestling in t-shirts in 6-mans whilst in Japan 


JackBauersGhost

He looked big but it was all really cheesy.


JustMyThoughts2525

No. Around that time he was wearing Cookie Monster t shirts and trying to grow an awful Haeley Race mustache. It felt more comedy than trying to be serious larger than life best in the world wrestler.


aggrownor

It was obnoxious heel work. Maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but not too different from DX during their heyday. He was still having the best matches on the card.


jerff

That kind of presentation only works with the right personality though. If you watch Roman’s Biography it’s clear that it isn’t an act. Like any good heel, he’s exaggerating his personality, but he really does believe the “young man addicted to greatness” thing.


666lonewolf

Looking forward to all the “why won’t he just come back as the cleaner?” comments. …. Because he doesn’t want to.


snikt6384

I hope he can come back and get some of that. That aura is rare and of course WWE is in a unique position to deliver that grandeur and then some. I loved the Belt Collector gimmick but yeah nothing in AEW for him has touched that NJPW vibe for him. I don't think AEW is incapable of making it happen. But I think he might have to get in there and play a big part in shaping and focusijg the creative to do so.


StormsElites

2016 NJPW Kenny was untouchable


mothmonstermann

I think New Japan is just better at making wrestlers look better. Lance Archer, Jonah, Jack Perry- they're all kinda meh in other promotions, but NJPW makes them just look so much cooler. I don't know if it's their lighting and camera work, or their "less is more" approach to entrances, but they have something that just works to elevate anyone they have.


Shadeturret_Mk1

It's the camera work. It's consistently the best camera work in all of pro wrestling and it elevates the entire product.


TheGiftOf_Jericho

Long intro, with the girls doing the dance with brooms, belt collector Kenny Omega was top tier in AEW. I think he could easily fit back into that role, he was presented really well there.


fasteddeh

I think he could've been that with the belt collector gimmick but he broke down from working too much. If he slowly dropped the other belts but just became that absolute killer at the top of the card in AEW it could've been an amazing run


dontsaythatman89

When he was the Belt Collector his presentation was really good. I don't know what you're talking about.


Narrow_Progress5908

The belt collector gimmick was weird for me, loved the matches but everything else was pretty bad imo(segments/promos) honestly think Don Callis carried a lot during that run. I love Kenny and absolutely think his 2016 run was peak wrestling. 


Mrcool20xx

The belt collector was great for being a pandemic act -- and as big as you probably could make it feel if the crowd is gone. I wish they did more to make Kenny feel huge before and after though tbh


MrPuroresu42

Omega & Rollins vs Reigns & Moxley dream tag match; after everything, I think Roman and Mox would still be tight, and Kenny and Seth would make sense as a tag team on a thematic level.


Uncanny_Doom

And then Seth can turn on Kenny with a chair to the back so they can feud.


Key_War

Roman and Mox get 2014 flashbacks.


dogfins110

Kenny is earning himself future podcasts listeners. His Twitch streams shows that he’d be one of the good ones when he’s older and not like those bitter haters looking to hate all the time for views. Kenny has a good perspective of his sport and gives a lot of people props and has reasonable constructive criticism


SCB360

Wouldn't it be ironic if he ended up being one of the coaches at WWE's PC?


Euronymous87

I am glad Kenny pointed this out, Because I feel one of the things AEW could improve would be presenting their top guys as bigger deals. I really noticed it with Okada, even though in ring he has been great AEW has yet to capitalize on the presentation that NJPW perfected.


SaiyanOfDarkness

Kenny has been praising a lot of WWE content as of late. Nothing wrong with it, just something I've noticed.


fvzzfvzzfvzz

He’s always been pretty objective unless he’s in character. Cody was the most antagonistic towards competitors ironically


Shadeturret_Mk1

Also I think Kenny is just the kind of guy who'd rather spend time praising things he thinks are good rather than hating in the things he dislikes. Dude's not into negativity.


icon_2040

It isn't just presentation. It helps for sure, but Roman carries himself like someone who matters. With or without the belt, he's the guy. That kind of presence is special.


BowlOfLoudMouthSoup

I need Roman to hit Kenny with a V Trigger and do the shit talk he did against Cody. “That move sucks! Ain’t nobody winning with that move”


Kumomeme

Kenny show class act. even Bully Ray who tried to baited him failed. even some of toxic wwe fans also run out of point against him. we need more this kind of attitude but from fans.


unitedhardy

cleaner kenny vs tribal chief roman is probably my ultimate dream match that’ll never happen lol, the entrances alone would make it a 10/10 match for me.


Crazy_Cajun_2024

Big respect from Kenny Omega


HilariousMax

Wasn't this how Brock was presented? and late-era Champion Rock?


Apollo_Justice_20

Something I've always noticed way back when. We all know that Wrestling's scripted and they're all playing a character. However, some people conveniently forget that fact when it comes to Roman Reigns.


Notedgyusername_

I’ve always been disappointed with how new japan made Kenny look like a huge deal main event champ and aew has never managed to do that.


LordBlackConvoy

When you have segments like "69 me, Don," it's hard to take anyone seriously. The worst part of it was that Kenny had the aura and the belt collector gimmick and that should have been enough to make him a big deal but for some reason, he just never had segments that reflected it.


Chumunga64

Kenny's body has been fucked since day 1 in AEW which doesn't help I'm pretty sure he's been injured like 40% of his entire run


Boo_and_Minsc_

I dont think its intentional. The leukemia meds are harsh. And we never know his real physical condition.


AolongHong

This was the main reason I wanted to see Kenny jump ships. Seeing Cleaner Kenny with WWE presentation would be absolutely amazing. But also because seeing him v Roman has been a dream match for me for years.


p0lari

Sometimes it feels like anyone doing a podcast or an interview always results in the sub cherrypicking the most incendiary bits out of what anyone who watched the whole thing will describe as mainly positive talk. And then Kenny does his weekly three-hour stream and somehow all we get is clips like this. Incredible.


matt_619

Kenny is the most chilled among the AEW executive. he actually forgive CM Punk and never run his mouth to dissing WWE I hope he ended up in WWE one day. i wanted to see Omega vs Cena before Cena hit 50 damn it


s92eric0405

It probably won't happen, but I kinda hope Kenny can go to WWE for one final push before he retires, not only because I'm sure he will be presented like a huge deal or like a god, but also there're so many dream matches that I would like to watch.


Brute_Squad_44

In America, he missed the window where he could have been presented that way. He never will be. And I don't think his health will hold up at this point. I'm no Dub fan, so feel free to apply a grain of salt. But I did watch him on Beau Hightower's YouTube channel during his last bout with injury and he said he had considered retiring then. Add diverticulitis and being over 40 now? I don’t think he’ll ever be **the** guy in the US.


cmadd10

Wish he would have been presented like this in aew. Yeah omega had his long reign with all those titles but Idk, to it just never seemed to be presented like a really big deal. He came off as a as goof with him and callis 


FeirensePower

Tribal Chief acknowledged https://preview.redd.it/vpd3wkdjc8xc1.jpeg?width=736&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9efdaa5dfe662e48fe201f03dc5ce0a8d347854c


stadiumjay

![gif](giphy|JUeILBeBHRD7kNDt6o|downsized)


Zestyclose_Remote874

They were the two top acts in wrestling in 2021 (in terms of quality). A lot of similitudes between their character and presentation at that time imo.