*Note: This list doesn’t follow any order, but a timeline of the events*
Kenny Omega‘s rise in NJPW over the last few years has been nothing short of magnificent. We’ve seen great gaijins in the company before, such as Prince Devitt, AJ Styles, “Machine Gun” Karl Anderson and many more. While they found a lot of success in Japan, Kenny Omega has clearly exceeded all of them put together.
While the others have made an impact, Omega has shaken things up in the entire promotion. Over the last two years or so as his popularity has risen, Omega has been rightfully considered as a top 5-level performer in the world of pro wrestling. It’s incredible to think that despite all his achievements now, he hasn’t even hit his peak. Let’s take a look at his five best moments in NJPW.
It may be interesting for you to note that everything here in the list is post-2016. Despite the fact that he found a lot of success as a Junior Heavyweight, his run as a heavyweight was a defining change in his career.
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#5.) Turning on AJ Styles – a new era of the Bullet Club
It was the night after Wrestle Kingdom 10. AJ Styles had unsuccessfully challenged Shinsuke Nakamura for the IWGP Intercontinental title, and the next night, he teamed with Kenny Omega. Omega actually managed to pin Nakamura and after the match, he turned on Styles and got the entire bullet Club to do so. It marked the change of the guard as Omega took over the reins on the Bullet Club.
It was Styles’ farewell and it later came out that Nakamura had reportedly signed with WWE as well. He would subsequently vacate the title and Omega would challenge Hiroshi Tanahashi for the vacant championship. Omega succeeded and won the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, officially cementing his place in the Heavyweight division.
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#4.) G1 Climax 2016 – History is made
Kenny Omega beat Tetsuya Naito in a war to win the B-Block of the G1 Climax 26 tournament. He faced Hirooki Goto in the finals and he made history by becoming the first gaijin to ever win the G1 Climax tournament. No one was more deserving than Omega and fans were completely behind The Cleaner.
It all led to a date with destiny – as he took on Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 11.
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#3.) Wrestle Kingdom 11 – A career changed forever
Kenny Omega’s main event at Wrestle Kingdom 11 marked the first time a gaijin had main evented the grand show. Though there were doubts as to whether fans would “vote” for Tanahashi-Naito to be the main event, NJPW officials confirmed that Okada vs Omega would definitely main event the show.
What ensued was 45 minutes of madness. 45 minutes of masterful storytelling, intense physicality and what ended up being one of the greatest matches in pro wrestling history. The best matches are the ones where even the loser comes out looking good in defeat. And that’s exactly what happened to Omega. Though he wasn’t successful in beating Kazuchika Okada, he outperformed him and the match set the wrestling world abuzz.
Kenny Omega had become the hottest superstar in all of pro wrestling. He would face Okada more times after this, and success was inevitable.
Next Page: Kenny Omega’s 5 best moments
#2.) G1 Special USA 2017 – Inaugural Champion
Kenny Omega was a part of the G! Special USA tournament to crown the first-ever IWGP United States Champion. It was a big moment for him and he was the clear favorite to win. Omega reached the finals and had an intense match with Tomohiro Ishii, an opponent that he was all too familiar with.
The crowd was completely behind Omega and it was one of those cases where it was “right time, right place”. Omega beat Ishii and became the inaugural IWGP United States Champion. However, it was clear that there were bigger plans for Omega. His most notable defense was a classic against Chris Jericho at Wrestle Kingdom 12.
Next Page: Kenny Omega’s 5 best moments
#1.) Dominion 6.9 2018 – The dream comes true
Kenny Omega was long-positioned as a future IWGP Heavyweight Champion. The prestige of the title was such that since 2011, only four superstars held the title: Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tetsuya Naito, Nand AJ Styles. Omega looked to join that list and by their fourth encounter, they had one win apiece against each other and one draw.
Okada had surpassed Tanahashi’s record title defenses and called out Omega. There wasn’t going to be any time limit this time, and it was 2-out-of-3 falls. What ensued was an all-time classic and fans knew that what they were witnessing was special. Okada had reigned as champion for nearly two full years and it all culminated in the match against Omega, where The Cleaner realized his dream by beating Okada and finally capturing the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
