WWE News: Latest On Kenny Omega Being A Surprise ‘Royal Rumble’ Entrant
Every year, the WWE Royal Rumble presents a fun and exciting match for spectators to enjoy. One of the most anticipating factors of the event in the surprise entrants that appear every year. While typically none of the surprise entrants have a shot of winning the match, it is a great addition to the event. Although it is usually a dip in the pool of nostalgia, there are times where unexpected names have benefited from being a part of the match.
There are a few examples of this happening. In the 2016 Royal Rumble match, Sami Zayn made his main roster debut by eliminating his long time Ring of Honor and NXT rival, Kevin Owens. While he would officially come on the roster after WrestleMania, the feud between Zayn and Owens lasted for months during the first half of the year.
In 2014, Rusev also made his debut from NXT in the Royal Rumble, making an immediate impression to the audience. Eventually, he would become one of the strongest heels on the roster, plowing through competition en route to becoming the United States Champion before losing to John Cena.
Cena has been a pro wrestling buzz name lately, based on reports of his mentioning of New Japan Pro Wrestling star and Bullet Club leader Kenny Omega. After his incredibly impressive match against Kazuchika Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 11, which received six stars from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, many reports have stated that he immediately became a person of interest on the WWE radar.
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Cena has also been posting a number of pictures on Instagram of Omega. This has spawned speculation of Omega debuting in the Royal Rumble match, and even potentially feuding with Cena.
Omega spoke to Sports Illustrated about Cena mentioning him.
“John Cena is one of the great WWE talents that I respect most. If I were to end up there, working with someone of his caliber would certainly be a goal and jive with my mission of changing wrestling. I’m glad to be on his radar, but I haven’t made any decisions regarding my future yet.”
Last year, AJ Styles made his long-awaited WWE debut as an early entrant in the Royal Rumble match. After an impressive showing, his career in the company would skyrocket, winning the WWE Champion in the same year and being one of the fastest rising competitors in WWE history.
For Omega, his career in NJPW, similar to Styles, has made him one of the hottest non-WWE stars in pro wrestling today. After winning the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, as well as the G-1 Climax tournament to earn a main event at Wrestle Kingdom, Omega may be looking to make a name in the United States.
While this is likely, Meltzer did give an update on the chances of Omega appearing at the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania.
“Rumble isn’t happening. Mania, who knows.”
If Omega does appear in the WWE this year, this would not be for the first time. Way back in 2005, he was offered a contract to compete for WWE’s then-developmental territory, Deep South Wrestling. There, he would team with Heath Slater (Heath Miller), as well as feud with Vladimir Kozlov (Oleg Prudius). However, Omega was dissatisfied with his experience in DSW, and requested his release from the company.
There is a great deal of anticipation from many regarding Kenny Omega coming to the WWE. However, as he stated, his career path is undecided, and he could choose to continue his success in NJPW. From the looks of it, Omega will most likely start a significant amount of the beginning of his WWE career in NXT, similar to Shinsuke Nakamura. Even with this, he can achieve great heights and reignite his feud with Nakamura, becoming a top guy for the NXT brand.
[Featured Image by Kenny Omega/Facebook]
