Kenny Omega Made the Right Move in Choosing NJPW over WWE

Kenny Omega will be happy that he delayed his entry into the WWE world to allow him to complete the New Japan Pro Wrestling chapters of his story.

Bright lights and a hefty payday await him in WWE. As a part of Japan's No. 1 promotion, though, Omega will be a higher priority, occupy a higher position and further establish himself as one of the world's top wrestling talents. 

Speculation that Omega will sign with Vince McMahon's company has been rampant of late.

Omega's expiring contract had people talking. So did John Cena's cryptic Instagram post. Many wondered if The Cleaner would be one of the surprise entrants in Sunday's Royal Rumble match.

But he's cleared things up for now.

Omega appeared on Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Jason Solomon of PW Mania) to announce that he is in negotiations to re-sign with NJPW. He also noted that he won't be at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view this Sunday:

It's not a done deal, but it looks as if NJPW will remain the host of Omega's in-ring wizardry.

It's a smart move. He's assured a spot on the marquee with that company.

Omega is fresh off headlining Wrestle Kingdom, the NJPW equivalent of WrestleMania. He has battled several of the promotion's biggest names, and a reign as IWGP world champion feels inevitable. 

He is poised to be the cornerstone of a company looking to expand its reach beyond Japan.

WWE can't offer him that. There's no guarantee that he won't get lost in the shuffle there. The sports-entertainment giant has been stockpiling talent so much in the past few years that it is forced to leave deserving Superstars off center stage.

Shinsuke Nakamura should be in the WWE world title mix, but instead the company is using him as a means to draw eyes to its development brand. The same goes for Samoa Joe.

Would Omega be relegated to WWE's minor league, too? Would he instead spin his wheels in the midcard of the main roster? Bleacher Report's Jonathan Snowden joked about Omega being asked to lose to Sheamus once he arrives:

"

So is Kenny Omega coming to WWE to job to Sheamus this year? Or is he coming to WWE to job to Sheamus next year?

— Jonathan Snowden (@JESnowden) January 27, 2017"

The danger of WWE misusing Omega is real. The company may look to change his gimmick too much or saddle him with an ill-fitting role.

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson were world-beaters in Japan. They were three-time IWGP tag team champions, the dominating bruisers of the popular Bullet Club faction. When they signed with WWE in 2016, they soon found themselves in lab coats making a series of genital-based puns.

So while WWE can outdo what NJPW can in terms of money, that won't be enough for Omega. As Jim Ross wrote on his blog, "Omega likely isn't going to be swayed by merely a fat contract but also what are the creative plans the WWE has for him [sic]."

As part of NJPW with red-hot duo The Young Bucks at his side, he will not only be a headliner and world title contender but a keystone to a growing brand.

And it sounds as if that's important to him. After Wrestle Kingdom, Omega told Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated: "I want to take New Japan into a new world of wrestling so there is at least one other option to the monopolized world that WWE has created."

Should he re-sign, he will get a chance to do just that. 

It's not as if Omega's window to head to WWE is shutting, either. He's only 33 years old. 

If he adds to his collection of classic matches in Japan, becomes world champion and increases his name power, he will have more leverage at the negotiating table in the future.

Cover photo courtesy of Courtney Rose via Flickr.