LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 19: Rhea Ripley fights Jade Cargill during the WWE Women's Championship match during WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium on April 19, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Jade Cargill lost her WWE Women's Championship at WrestleMania 42 to Rhea Ripley, but she did have a few standout moments. One of them came when she pulled off her own version of Kenny Omega's One-Winged Angel, which Cargill calls the Sandstorm.
While Omega's kind and gracious response might have disappointed fans who were thirsty for smoke, many others appreciated his response – including Cargill, who continued to pay her respects to the legend in her response.
This was Cargill giving a nod to her AEW days and very likely Omega, someone credited with helping to push the All Elite Wrestling's women division while Cargill was there. She spent nearly three years in AEW before making her 2023 jump to WWE, and Omega was a backstage voice throughout that run.
Using the One Winged Angel on the biggest stage in wrestling – and calling it the Sandstorm – was her way of tying her AEW chapter to her WWE present without saying a word. It was subtle, respectful, and pulled off in front of the largest audience of her career.
Omega's positive response was great for wrestling. It's him giving a pleasant acknowledgment to a younger performer who'd tipped her cap to him. That's the kind of exchange that brings wrestlers – even ones from different promotions together.
The One Winged Angel has a reputation as one of the most protected finishers in modern wrestling, and Omega had every reason to push back on WWE using it and having Ripley kick out. Instead, he chose legacy over ownership. That call lowers the temperature on tribal debates that too often poison wrestling conversations online.
Cargill's demeanor on X afterward has been far milder than during her title reign and rise. It'll be interesting to see if she is back on Smackdown on Friday, or if she takes a hiatus. If she's there, a match with Ripley at Backlash could be what's next.
A rematch is the cleanest story. WWE has every reason to keep the Cargill-Ripley program alive considering how much heat the WrestleMania 42 match generated. If they slow play it, Cargill might end up with a fresh program instead – possibly the intergender direction she's hinted at in recent interviews.
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As it is, Omega, Will Ospreay, Kazuchika Okada, MJF and Eddie Kingston are among the greatest wrestlers who've never been in WWE. That list tells you how deep the talent pool outside Stamford has gotten.
Omega's AEW roots run too deep for a WWE appearance to feel realistic in the short term. He's a Founding Father of the company and the leader of The Elite, and that identity doesn't flip easily. But wrestling keeps proving that nothing is permanent, so "never" is a word nobody should throw around about Omega and WWE.
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This article was originally published on Forbes.com