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Apart from being the kind of talent wrestling fans are instantly drawn to, part of the buzz and excitement around Kenny Omega is his potential ability to draw attention away from the WWE and prove to the world that you can become a megastar without the help of Vince McMahon.
The more popular Omega grows as part of NJPW, the more concerned WWE should be about the future of the wrestling business. If things keep going as they are, we could have another wrestling war on our hands the likes of which we haven't seen since the Monday Night Wars between WWE and WCW in the late 90s/early 00's.
While this would be most welcome as far as fans are concerned, the WWE would probably prefer not to have to fight a battle with a rival company. With the recent announcement that Omega will be taking on WWE legend Chris Jericho at Wrestle Kingdom 12 early next year, the company will feel like they need to do something pretty special to make sure fans aren't drawn too far away from the monopoly held by the McMahons over in the States.
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Here are 5 ways the WWE could burst New Japan's bubble when Wrestle Kingdom 12 comes around:
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#1 Arrange and announce a major superstar return
A great way for WWE to draw fans' attention away from the mega-match between Kenny Omega and Chris Jerich at Wrestle Kingdom would be for the company to announce the return of a huge name from the past on the same day — January 4th, 2018.
Nothing gets the WWE Universe talking quite as much as when an unexpected name makes an unexpected return after a period of absence, and maybe, given the right superstar, enough wind could be taken from the excitement of a pending Omega vs. Jericho bout to save the WWE's blushes.
For such an anticipated match to be undercut by a return announcement, the name would have to be pretty significant. The obvious choice would be somebody like CM Punk, a man who left the company under a cloud but who fans would love to see compete once more.
If this would prove too difficult, perhaps somebody from the past, who still has favourable ties with the company, could be convinced to wrestle again. Somebody like The Rock or Stone Cold Steve Austin would be ideal. Imagine the buzz across the IWC if either of these two men was announced for a return at Wrestlemania 34. Maybe this will be enough to have people saying 'Kenny Who?'.
#2 Hold an impromptu PPV on the WWE Network on January 4th
We may live in an age of streaming and downloads, which means people are free to watch whatever they want, whenever they want. That being said, while fans can theoretically watch something after the event has already concluded, they are still presented with a choice as to whether or not to watch it live.
An effective way for the WWE to burst the bubble of Wrestle Kingdom 12 might be to hold their own PPV on the WWE Network on the same date and at the same time (ideally this would need to be a PPV held in Japan, China or Australia or time difference reasons). Even if Wrestle Kingdom gets more live views, it would at least upset the New Japan party if some of their intended audience were drawn away from their showcase event resulting in smaller live numbers.
The PPV would have to get people talking, so much so that not everyone at work or school will be discussing the Omega Vs. Jericho showdown the next day. You would need at least a quarter the work colleagues or school friends saying things like 'yeah but what about that WWE show yesterday too?'
One idea for the PPV would be to link it to the Royal Rumble, which would be the next big show at the end of January. Maybe they could have qualifying matches for the Rumble match itself, with two big names from the past coming in to compete for their place in the 30-man classic bout in the main event.
#3 Arrange the signing of a current NJPW superstar and debut them on January 4th
Part of the reason the upcoming match between Omega and Jericho might feel a bit awkward for the McMahons is that since his debut in 1999, Jericho has always been seen as a WWE guy through and through. Having him go over to Japan and challenge Kenny leaves open the possibility of more company legends following him in the future.
So, maybe a good way to reverse some of the damage done to Jericho's semi-betrayal would be for the WWE to quickly arrange the signing of somebody over in NJPW - a kind of 'tit for tat' solution.
At present, there are a few names floating around who could make the switch including War Machine. Omega's name has even been suggested on numerous occasions too, but with the announcement for the WK match, this seems a tad unlikely.
The most obvious choice, should he be up for it, would be Cody Rhodes. The relationship between the American Nightmare and the McMahon family might be a little tepid right now, but there has always been a pretty strong bond between the WWE and the Rhodes family, dating back to Dusty's time with the company and Goldust's 20+ year career.
Cody is also a part of the Bullet Club, the faction currently led by Kenny Omega. What a kick in the teeth it would be for New Japan to have an Omega ally make his big return on the same day a WWE legend is challenging for the NJPW US Championship?
#4 Make a public offer to Kenny Omega for a future WWE contract
If the way to dampen the excitement of an Omega Jericho match is to get people talking about something else, why not take a more direct route and create some intrigue by targeting one of the two men involved in the WK showdown?
The prospect of Kenny Omega wrestling for the WWE is by no means an unlikely scenario. Kenny has even taken more of a back seat role in the recent Bullet Club Vs. McMahon feud, possibly as a way to keep himself in Vince's good books for the future.
Because the whole of the internet will be talking about Omega anyway when January 4th comes around, the WWE wouldn't have to do anything too drastic. Perhaps a tweet from COO Triple H formally inviting Omega for talks would be enough to shift the focus from Wrestle Kingdom to Omega's future prospects.
Even if talks drag out for months after the initial invitation, the IWC works mainly on rumour and speculation. A timely tweet or press conference announcement would be like dropping a spec of blood into a shark tank and watching the subsequent chaos ensue.
#5 Announce a shocking Hall of Fame entrant
One card the WWE will have up its sleeve when Wrestle Kingdom comes around is that Wrestlemania season will not be too far away. The commentary teams on RAW and Smackdown will be busy discussing plans for the upcoming event and the matches will start to take shape going into the Royal Rumble PPV in late January.
Another guaranteed talking point around this time will be who the 2018 Hall of Fame inductees will be. Typically this is not a massive talking point amongst fans, particularly of the younger generations, but if a truly shocking announcement was made for that year's class, maybe enough attention will be drawn from the WK US Championship match.
There are a number of names that most fans want to see enter the Hall of Fame who, for one reason or another, have not yet made the bill. The obvious names at this point are Owen Hart and Chyna. Both instantly draw controversy at their mere mention, for quite different reasons.
If Chyna is ever inducted, the company would have to come to terms with her shady past including a public porn career and endless drug and alcohol battles. They would also have to peddle back on the comments made by Triple H on the Stone Cold Podcast about why the Eight Wonder of the World has not yet made the HOF billing.
For Owen, the story is a little different. While relations are still pretty good between the Harts and the McMahons, considering all the past that has gone by over the years, Owen Hart belongs to that rarest and most unfortunate class of superstars who lost their lives inside the ring.
The company's PR division would have a tough time bypassing the events of Over the Edge 1999 should Owen ever be inducted, as well as how badly he was reportedly treated following Bret's departure in 1997.
That being said, if either of these two names were to be announced around the time of Wrestle Kingdom 12, there would be more than one discussion point for the IWC to sink their teeth into.
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