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Kenny Omega is the current AEW World Champion and has firmly established himself as the top star in the company. The Cleaner has added another accolade to his list of accomplishments by being named the #1 wrestler in the Pro Wrestling Illustrated 500. The 31st annual PWI 500 is a compilation of the best wrestlers in the world that accounts for their kayfabe success and in-ring work.
Joining Omega in the top ten were WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns at #2, WWE Champion Bobby Lashley at #3, Drew McIntyre at #4, Kota Ibushi at #5, Jon Moxley at #6, Will Ospreay at #7, Finn Balor at #8, IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Shingo Takagi at #9, and Rich Swann at #10.
Omega earned the #1 spot due to a variety of reasons. Many fans will argue for a few of the top ten members being over "The Belt Collector," but there are some undeniable factors at play as to why he has this honor. In this article, let's take a look at the five reasons why Kenny Omega is the #1 wrestler in the PWI 500.
#5 Kenny Omega as AEW World Champion was on top of the company during their most successful period so far
Omega beat Sonny Kiss, Penta El Zero Miedo and Hangman Page in the World Title Eliminator Tournament to earn his shot at the AEW World Championship. The Cleaner then defeated Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship on December 2nd, 2020 episode of AEW Dynamite entitled "Winter Is Coming".
That night, Omega aligned with IMPACT EVP Don Callis, who helped him to victory. It completed his slow-burn heel turn, which led to him making appearances for IMPACT Wrestling. The Winter Is Coming special was a huge ratings success that bled over into 2021. This year, AEW officially won the Wednesday Night War when WWE NXT moved nights to Tuesdays.
Immediately after NXT's move, AEW Dynamite consistently earned over one million viewers with Omega as the AEW World Champion. The company has been surging and growing in visibility, which has only helped Omega's case for being the best wrestler of the year.
To further cement this case, Omega headlined the biggest pay-per-view buyrate for All Elite Wrestling at Revolution 2021 against Moxley in the Exploding Barbwire Death Match. Being the top star and AEW World Champion during this rise for the company has allowed Omega to be viewed in the upper echelon of the industry.
#4 Kenny Omega as IMPACT World Champion helped the company to the two biggest pay-per-view buyrates of the past decade
Following his AEW World Championship win over Moxley, Omega and Callis announced that The Cleaner would be making an appearance on IMPACT. In his first appearance, Omega set his sights firmly on becoming a belt collector and winning the IMPACT World Championship.
After pinning Rich Swann in a six-man tag team match at Hard To Kill, a match was set between Swann and Omega for both the AEW World and IMPACT World Championships at the IMPACT Rebellion pay-per-view. The two men battled in a fantastic encounter when Omega hit the One-Winged Angel to defeat Swann to win his title.
Hard To Kill and Rebellion both garnered IMPACT's two biggest pay-per-view buyrates of the past decade. This financial success showed that Omega was beneficial to the company and confirmed the reason IMPACT was working with AEW. The Cleaner would be in the main event for one more major show.
Omega defeated Sami Callihan to retain the IMPACT World Championship in arguably his best match with the company. It was a bloody and brutal No Disqualification Match that showed Omega's versatility and his ability to adapt to his opponent's styles. This was another substantial butyrate, once again paying dividends on why Omega won the gold in the first place.
#3 Kenny Omega's exceptional catalog of great matches
In the first year of AEW, many fans complained that Omega wasn't putting on the level of superb encounters that he had at New Japan Pro Wrestling. Although the early part of 2020 saw him put on one of the greatest tag team matches of all time with Hangman Page against The Young Bucks at Revolution 2020, the singles department lacked the classics of his past.
During the evaluation period of July 1st, 2020 to June 30th, 2021, Omega again reached his peak form in the singles competition. The Cleaner had a high octane opener against Hangman Page in the World Title Eliminator Tournament Finals at Full Gear 2020. He followed up with a tremendous bout against Moxley to win the AEW World Championship at Winter Is Coming.
From there, Omega put on one of the greatest AEW Dynamite matches of all time against Rey Fenix on the January 6th, 2021 episode, New Years Smash Night 1. The Cleaner followed up with yet another great main event against Moxley in an Exploding Barbwire Death Match at Revolution 2021. He also had quality television contests against Joey Janela and Matt Sydal.
Omega defeated PAC and Orange Cassidy in an excellent three-way match at Double Or Nothing 2021. Many fans called it one of the best three-ways they've ever watched. He also beat Moose in a very good main event at Against All Odds.
This list of exceptional singles bouts shows that Omega is still the best in-ring performer today. The different kind of encounters that he can have is what makes him a once-in-a-lifetime pro wrestler.
#2 Kenny Omega was undefeated during the PWI 500's time span
Omega kicked off his run at AEW with a loss to Chris Jericho in the main event of Double Or Nothing 2019. In the next major pay-per-view for the company, All Out 2019, The Cleaner lost to PAC. To close out 2019, Omega once again took a loss to Moxley in an Unsanctioned Lights Out Match. That was three straight losses on major shows for Omega.
After that streak of heart-breaking losses, Omega was able to turn his singles fortunes around. Despite taking a loss at All Out 2020 to FTR, Omega wasn't pinned. During the evaluation period, The Cleaner was undefeated in one-on-one matches.
On a kayfabe list like the Pro Wrestling Illustrated 500, win-loss records are very important. Being protected helps stake your claim for a higher spot on the prestigious list. Omega beat everyone in front of him over the course of the twelve-month period. It's an impressive run of wins against a who's who of competition.
Omega defeated Rey Fenix, Jon Moxley, and PAC from AEW. He beat Rich Swann and Moose from IMPACT as well as Laredo Kid from AAA. It didn't matter who was up against Omega, he would hit the One Winged Angel to pin them. That win-loss record pales in comparison to his top accomplishments in the three promotions.
#1 Kenny Omega won world titles for three different promotions
Omega came into the evaluation period as the current and reigning AAA Mega Champion. His run with that top prize was extended due to the pandemic, putting a halt to events for the promotion, but The Cleaner was able to retain against Jack Evans on AEW Dynamite. He followed that up with a sensational title defense against Laredo Kidd at TripleMania XXVIII.
Defending the AAA Mega Championship on AEW helped bring eyes to AAA and elevated the title. Despite Omega not being able to travel to Mexico, he was able to do more for the gold than so many previous champions.
Omega finally won the AEW World Championship from Moxley on the Winter Is Coming episode of Dynamite in December 2020. Upon adding the top prize in AEW to the AAA Mega Championship, he set his sights on the IMPACT World Championship.
At Rebellion 2021, Omega defeated Rich Swann to win the IMPACT World Championship. Due to Swann's win over Moose to unify his title with the TNA Heavyweight Championship, Omega added two more titles to his new "Belt Collector" moniker.
There have been other belt collectors in the past for professional wrestling. In the 1990s, Ultimo Dragon held eight different titles at a time. Two decades later, Austin Aries won the IMPACT World Championship, while holding gold for multiple independent promotions. However, no one in the modern era has held three separate world titles for three promotions at once.
Omega's achievement has helped firmly establish "the forbidden door" for AEW. Their relationship with AAA and IMPACT clearly centers around The Cleaner. He has helped all three companies with increased TV ratings, pay-per-view buyrates, and outstanding matches.
Several top performers were included in the top ten of Pro Wrestling Illustrated 500. They all put on terrific contests and won championship gold. However, no one achieved what Omega was able to do. That's why Omega winning the AEW World, AAA Mega, and IMPACT World Championships is the biggest reason why he is the #1 wrestler in the PWI 500.
