If you ask “The Texas Rattlesnake,” current IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega could very well be “the next big thing” in WWE.
WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin recently welcomed longtime friend and fellow WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross to his “Steve Austin Show” podcast for an interview. During the show, the two spoke about the New Japan Pro Wrestling standout performer potentially joining WWE.
“Hands down, he is one of the best in the world, if not the best in the world, in my opinion,” Austin said of Omega. “If he came to the WWE, if he had any interest in doing so, I think that guy could be the next big thing. I don’t know if it’s going to happen. I said he has the potential to be, if he was given the platform, just not be put in a box.”
Austin continued, “He may never go to New York, but just when I look out there, Jim, and I ask, who could be the next big draw, he’s at the top of my list. May it happen or will it happen? Maybe it will and maybe it won’t, but that’s what I think his potential is. I see so much in this kid and that’s why I’m so high on him.”
The WWE legend turned podcast host also put over Omega’s charisma when discussing the possibility of a run in the big leagues for the international superstar.
“I was watching an interview Triple H did an [the interview and] said, ‘what’s the one thing you’re looking for most in a person that he’s interviewing with to bring into the company?’ And the number one thing he said was ‘charisma,’ and, man, when I’ve seen this kid, and I’ve never met him, but I saw some of his interviews over there in Japan,” said Austin. “He speaks fluent Japanese. And, boy, all of a sudden, he started lighting up in the Japanese language. And then, he’s speaking in English. He was like a lightning bolt on that microphone.
“A lot of charisma, a lot of presence, and bigger than life personality. And he can go like a son of a b—h in the ring, so he has got all that. He has been in the business 15 years or better, so he knows all that. He knows how to get over. He can get over if the company’s really behind him and given that platform. I think he’s a guy that’s hungry enough to be on board and say, ‘hey, I want to be number one.'”
Check out the complete episode of the “Steve Austin Show” podcast at PodcastOne.com.