Opinion

Cook: Kenny Omega’s Booking In AEW? Perfect.

Steve Cook dives into the booking of Kenny Omega in AEW, and he has one word to describe it: Perfect.

Published

5 years ago

July 29, 2020

Steve Cook

AEW Double Or Nothing Kenny Omega Credit Ricky Havlik

Steve Cook dives into the booking of Kenny Omega in AEW, and he has one word to describe it: Perfect.

One of the most talked about aspects of All Elite Wrestling’s presentation since before its debut on TNT has been the booking plans for The Elite. Cody, Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, you know, the guys that Tony Khan bought into and did a good enough sales job on to get TNT back into the wrestling business. Sure, getting Chris Jericho on board pushed them over the top, but we were all wondering whether or not AEW would become a vanity fed for The Elite.

It could have easily been!

There’s no reason why not. The Elite could have easily given themselves all the titles and all the power because they got the TV deal and the money and f all y’all. That’s what rich people usually do, right? Especially when they have a right to do so.

Cody was the most over babyface from the second AEW Dynamite debuted. When he declared he would never get another AEW World title shot if he didn’t beat Chris Jericho at Full Gear, we all assumed he was winning. The man was talking people into the building like his father used to. If he beat Jericho at that show, nobody would have batted an eye. It would have been accepted. He didn’t.

The Bucks have not won the AEW Tag Team Championship as of yet. They got bounced out early in the initial tournament by Private Party, then they lost a title match at Revolution. It hasn’t hurt them at all, as pointed out by many people within the last few days their match with Butcher & Blade drew over 1 million live viewers. It might drive old school fans & managers insane, but people still want to see the Bucks.

Of course, any discussion of the tag team scene has to involve Kenny Omega. Which most of us weren’t expecting in the early days of AEW. I mean, we’re talking about a former IWGP Champion. A guy who had matches that completely broke Dave Meltzer’s star system. Once his title reign expired, there were plenty of people looking for his services. One group involved people he had been working with for years. The other was WWE, the biggest game in the business. Once you work for WWE, you automatically become a Hall of Famer. AJ Styles went that road, and it’s worked pretty well for him.

The funny thing about this whole thing is this: All the people that didn’t want WWE to sign Kenny went on about how they would book him as a secondary character. They wouldn’t use him to his full potential. OH MY GOD HE WOULDN’T HAVE SEVEN STAR MATCHES. It would be a sin for Kenny to sign with WWE and subject himself to lesser than his full potential.

As it turned out, Kenny Omega signed with his friends in AEW. He considered WWE, but he went with his friends. And, well, he hasn’t had any seven star matches since signing with AEW. I thnk there’s been one or two five star matches, I don’t care enough to look it up.

It would be easy for somebody that had matches in Japan that got seven stars to get full of their own shit. We wouldn’t blame them. Nobody would have been surprised if Kenny Omega was the first AEW World Champion and tried to have classics with everybody that came through. Kenny could easily be in that Jon Moxley spot, waiting to face monsters.

Kenny’s smarter than that.

Kenny’s interested in the future of AEW. He’s bought into this thing with him, Matt, Nick, Cody & Tony. They’re trying to build an viable promotion for years to come. Something that goes on after Kenny, Cody & the Bucks can wrestle full-time. They know they need to build future stars, and that’s why Jericho is on board, because he can build anybody and he’s smart enough not to get mad about doing it. As my man Larry said, Chris Jericho is the Terry Funk of his generation. That being said, the Elite knows they need to play their part.

That’s why Kenny Omega is in a tag team with “Hangman” Adam Page. That’s why they won the tag team championship, and that’s why the Hangman gets all the wins. Adam Page is somebody the Elite saw something in early on, and he’s the guy they want to build around. They want Page to be the guy main eventing 5-10 years from now. We knew this when Page was part of the first AEW Championship match. It felt a little too soon, enough people said so & the AEW brass heard it. That’s why the Hangman got eased into the tag team scene with Kenny Omega, and it ended up being the perfect thing for him.

I don’t know whether or not the Elite guys thought it would work so well, but it did. (I think they did, but built it up for storyline purposes.)

Now we have FTR/F The Rest/Forever The Revival here to take the tag straps as has been built for years with Cody & the Bucks saying F— The Revival. It makes perfect sense. We all knew the end game was Dax & Cash holding tag titles for a very long time while fools like the Bucks tried to go against them. Whenever Dax & Cash go against Hangman & Kenny might be the time those straps change hands.

That doesn’t matter. Especially when it ends up being Kenny taking the fall.

Many will think this is a missed opportunity. It might be. I will never claim to be 100% right about everything. Even so, I still think that Omega agreeing to team with Hangman Page makes sense. People will disagree with me, but they are wrong, whether the seasons are influenced by big business or not. We all know that the goal behind the Omega/Page team is to get the Hangman over.

Which is why whenever people ask me about Kenny Omega’s booking in AEW, I will say it’s ok! I like new people being put over. Not sure how other people feel about it, but I like it!

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Money In The Bank

Extra, extra read all about it… Chairshot Staff picks are in!!!

Published

23 hours ago

June 6, 2025

PC Tunney

Sing it with me… money money money money moneeeeeeeeeyeeeeee… everybody’s got a price! MONEY IN THE BANK is here!!! How money will our staff picks be?!?

AJ – Roxanne Perez
Andrew – Stephanie Vaquer – *Bubba Sparxxx Impression* I don’t tell stories, I let them tell theyself.
Dave – Guilia – A stacked field but I just like her here.
DJ – Naomi
DPP – Roxanne Perez
Jason – Alexa Bliss
Patrick – Roxanne Perez
Rey – Naomi – If Naomi loses, we riot!
Rob – Naomi
Greg – Alexa Bliss – Bliss has had huge reactions since returning and is moving a ton of merch. While I can see them wanting to build Roxanne Perez, Giulia, or Stephanie Vaquer, I think Alexa Bliss.

Tunney’s Take: Rhea Ripley – I’ll make my case short and sweet… Mami in the Bank! You can’t leave that money on the table.

Chairshot Pick – Tie – Naomi 3 & Roxanne Perez 3 (Alexa Bliss 2, Giulia 1, Rhea Ripley 1, Stephanie Vaquer 1)

AJ – LA Knight
Andrew – El Grande Americano – Feels correct given his push and the fact he’s over.
Dave – Seth Rollins – Got to push that new faction.
DJ – LA Knight
DPP – El Grande Americano
Jason – LA Knight
Patrick – Solo Sikoa
Rey – LA Knight – Looks like another push, and he does have history with Cena.
Rob – Solo Sikoa
Greg – Seth Rollins – This company is extremely high in the El Grande Americano gimmick, but this match comes down to Seth Rollins or LA Knight. Given the Rollins storyline, it’s his briefcase to win.

Tunney’s Take: El Grande Americano – Picture this: Chad Gable wins the AAA Mega Championship and El Grande Americano wins MITB! WHAT A SATURDAY in LA!!!

Chairshot Pick – LA Knight 4 (El Grande Americano 3, Seth Rollins 2, Solo Sikoa 2)

AJ – Becky Lynch – Sadly
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I still don’t care about Lyra.
Dave – Lyra Valkyria – Starting to warm up to her and Becky has a lot to do with that.
DJ – Lyra Valkyria
DPP – Becky Lynch
Jason – Becky Lynch
Patrick – Lyra Valkyria
Rey – Becky Lynch – Put some fire on the Irish Beef.
Rob – Becky Lynch
Greg – Becky Lynch – I don’t think you do a rematch here just to have Becky lose again. Unless Bayley shows up to help Lyra.

Tunney’s Take: Becky Lynch – A big part of me feels that winning this title checks off a major box for Becks in her HOF career.

Chairshot Pick – Becky Lynch 8-3

AJ – Cena & Paul
Andrew – Rhodes & Uso – Easy way for Cena to lose without eating the pinfall.
Dave – Rhodes & Uso – Get the QB back on the winning track.
DJ – Rhodes & Uso
DPP – Rhodes & Uso
Jason – Cena & Paul
Patrick – Cena & Paul
Rey – Rhodes & Uso – Heels usually lose these kinds of matches. Logan takes the pin.
Rob – Cena & Paul
Greg – Rhodes & Uso – I hope Jey isn’t an afterthought here like Cody was last fall when he was paired up with Roman. I think Cody pins Cena to set up Cody-Cena 2 at SummerSlam.

Tunney’s Take: Cena & Paul – I don’t think Cena is involved in another loss until he loses the WWE Championship. I also think Logan Paul is NOT done trying to capture Jey Uso’s World Heavyweight Championship. …Travis Scott in the house?

Chairshot Pick – 6-5 Rhodes & Uso

In closing I want to thank everyone on the panel for participating with their picks! You can follow each prognosticator/podcaster on X @ the handles below. We all enjoy Pro Wrestling so remember three things… be respectful of others, comparison is the thief of joy and HAVE FUN!

AJ – @PhenomenalAJB
Andrew – @IWCWarChief
Dave – @AttitudeAgg
DJ – @TheMindlessPod
DPP – @itsmeDPP
Jason – @JediFett
Patrick – @WrestlngRealist
Rey – @itsreycash
Rob – @rbonne1
Greg – @gregdemarco44
PC – @PCTunney
TheChairshot.com – @ChairshotMedia

prowrestlingtees.com/TheChairshot – a PLETHORA of GREAT designs…MAKES A GREAT GIFT!

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CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE’s PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS…IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O’Dowd’s 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

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About Chairshot Radio Network

MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)

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SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

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Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Backlash St. Louis

Chairshot Staff picks!!!

Published

4 weeks ago

May 9, 2025

PC Tunney

May is upon us and with that, so is Backlash from St. Louis! What does the first PLE after WrestleMania have in store for the WWE Universe? Let’s see if the Chairshot Staff can properly interpret the crystal ball of rasslin’ future.

AJ – Pat MacAfee – Gunther has to start losing control and who better than an announcer.
Andrew – Pat MacAfee – Goldberg getting involved does seem correct here.
Dave – Gunther – He’s not losing to a broadcaster.
DJ – Gunther – Pat is sent to the shadow realm until football season is over.
DPP – Gunther – Post match beat down leads to Pat time off.
Jason – Gunther – One massive spot and or bump from Pat.
Patrick – Gunther
Rey – Gunther – RIP MacAfee, t’was a good life.
Rob – Gunther
Greg – Pat MacAfee – Why? Goooooldbeeerrrrrgggggg!

Tunney’s Take: Gunther – Seems like the right pick here. Pat may be getting some time off and Gunther needs more heat.

Chairshot Pick – GUNTHER 8-3

AJ – Lyra Valkyria – Becky’s hopefully putting her over, still mad about Dakota.
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I have no real interest in Lyra currently.
Dave – Becky Lynch – Lyra is boring AF!
DJ – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley interferes.
DPP – Becky Lynch – Becky cheats and steals the title.
Jason – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley costs Becks.
Patrick – Becky Lynch
Rey – Becky Lynch – Story needs to jump up a bit, Becky Charlotte’s Lyra.
Rob – Lyra Valkyria
Greg – Becky Lynch – It’s been fun, Lyra. (It kinda hasn’t)

Tunney’s Take: Lyra Valkyria – Bayley’s interference should set up some type of program with Becky as we head towards Summer(Slam).

Chairshot Pick – BECKY LYNCH 6-5

AJ – Jacob Fatu – Great way to put him over w/ two former WHCs and LA Knight.
Andrew – Jacob Fatu – He’s Jacob Fatu!
Dave – Jacob Fatu – Too soon to pull the belt off him.
DJ – Jacob Fatu – Priest and LA can’t decide who’s is bigger.
DPP – Jacob Fatu – Your hardcore match, tables and chairs involved.
Jason – Jacob Fatu – The Champ retains due to or in spite of Solo.
Patrick – Jacob Fatu
Rey – Jacob Fatu – All gas. No brakes. Ain’t losing.
Rob – Jacob Fatu
Greg – Jacob Fatu – Someone from The Samoan Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Jacob Fatu – Uncle Mo is on Fatu’s side and other than Knight, I don’t see Drew or Priest holding the US title in the current circumstances of this title’s landscape.

Chairshot Pick – JACOB FATU 11-0

AJ – Dominic Mysterio – Judgement Day shenanigans just leading up to Finn turning on Dom later.
Andrew – Penta – Dom’s fine having a short reign, could also work for pushing AAA.
Dave – Dominic Mysterio – He’s probably more over than Penta.
DJ – Dominic Mysterio – Dirty Dom takes home the gold and the girl.
DPP – Dominic Mysterio – Big Head helps Dom pull out the win.
Jason – Dominic Mysterio – By hook and crook.
Patrick – Dominic Mysterio
Rey – Dominic Mysterio – Latino Heat keeps burning. Finn gets closer to the edge.
Rob – Dominic Mysterio
Greg – Dominic Mysterio – Someone from The Guerrero Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Dominic Mysterio – That belt looks good with the king of chicken tendys. I can see Penta and Rey reforming as a tag team sooner than later.

Chairshot Pick – DOMINIC MYSTERIO 10-1

AJ – John Cena – Why? Cena wins, lol.
Andrew – John Cena – Shenanigans ensue so it’s not a clean win.
Dave – John Cena – The last time is now.
DJ – John Cena – Randy hears voices telling him he needs an Attitude Adjustment.
DPP – John Cena – Cena tries to cheat but the ref doesn’t call for a DQ.
Jason – John Cena – Nefarious means, Randy not ready for Evil John Cena.
Patrick – John Cena
Rey – John Cena – Cena just counting down the dates. Should be fun though.
Rob – John Cena
Greg – John Cena – You know they want Cody to be the hero in the end.

Tunney’s Take: Randy Orton – Once upon a time Randy got himself intentionally disqualified and it cost John. Saturday, history repeats itself with a 180-degree twist. Cena retains via Orton DQ victory. This time, Travis Scott’s appearance takes care of that task.

Chairshot Pick – JOHN CENA 10-1