You might have heard of the name Kenny Omega recently. He’s been in the headlines for a pretty good match against Kazuchika Okada that ended up being rated 6.25 stars by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer. He’s kind of a pretty big deal right now.
The Cleaner has been a staple of Japanese Wrestling for a number of years now through his exploits first in DDT and then in New Japan Pro Wrestling, but he has come into the public limelight over the course of the past six months for some truly incredible matches.
Omega is one of the very best – and perhaps the best – wrestlers in the world today and it is easy to see why professional wrestling fans all over the world as so in love with him and his matches. He is just that damn good – both in the ring and on the mic.
He has what it takes to go down in history as one of the all-time greats and for those of you unfamiliar with his body of work, we are here to give you some must-see matches involving the leader of Bullet Club.
So, without any further ado, here is our list of 5 best Kenny Omega matches that you must watch:
#5 Kenny Omega vs Kota Ibushi, DDT Budokan 2012 – Not Rated
This is one of those obscure classics that Kenny Omega has been a part of. During his run with DDT – another Japanese promotion – Omega teamed with a wrestler by the name of Kota Ibushi and the pair were called The Golden Lovers. They were very good and the fastest of friends.
In 2012, though, they squared off in one of the best matches in DDT history and the promotion’s Match of the Year for 2012. They put on an instant classic and it would be one to mark them forever as friends and rivals. DDT’s stuff isn’t quite as mainstream as New Japan, so this match wasn’t even rated by Dave Meltzer.
Regardless of that, though, this is one Omega’s finest matches and is a must watch for anyone who claims to be a fan of The Cleaner.
#4 Kenny Omega vs Tomohiro Ishii, Dontaku 2017 – 4.75 stars
Kenny Omega has made his name as a fast paced wrestler who loves to take risks and put on a show for the audience. Tomohiro Ishii, on the other hand, is one of the hardest hitters in the whole world, let alone New Japan Pro Wrestling.
So, when Omega vs Ishii was booked for Dontaku earlier this year, fans were curious about what to expect and whether the match would live up to expectations.
There was little need to worry, though, as the two absolutely tore the house down with Kenny showing off a different side to his wrestling style. He matches Ishii for power while still employing his trademark style and this match quickly became one of the very best this year.
#3 Kenny Omega vs Tetsuya Naito, G1 Climax 2016 – 5 stars
Kenny Omega’s G1 run was a truly historic affair and it didn’t get much better than the semi-final match up where he went up against the former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion and former IWGP Intercontinental Champion, Tetsuya Naito.
This was pretty much Omega’s coming out party to the rest of the world. While he was highly respected within the Japanese scene, this gave him exposure to the rest of the world and set up his eventual triumph in 2016’ G1 final making him the first gaijin – foreigner – to ever win the tournament,
The match was a 5-star classic and surprisingly enough, it is Omega’s only five-star match. So, why is it only number three? Well, that's because of...
#2 Kenny Omega vs Kazuchika Okada, Wrestle Kingdom 11 – 6 stars
What many proclaimed to be the early favourite to win the Match of the Year for 2017 happened just four days into the new year at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s version of Wrestlemania – Wrestle Kingdom 11. In the main event of the encounter, Kenny Omega challenged Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
Expectations were high for this match and everyone was expecting the moon. There was no way they could deliver, right? Wrong. The two put on one of the finest professional wrestling matches in the history of the sport and went at it for nearly fifty minutes.
I won’t spoil this for you but our final entry of this list contains spoilers because of the rematch between the two, so you have been warned.
#1 Kenny Omega vs Kazuchika Okada, NJPW Dominion 2017 – 6.25 stars
How could they ever top what they did in the Tokyo Dome at Wrestle Kingdom 11? It just wasn’t possible. Until they did. Kenny Omega came back for a second attempt at Kazuchika Okada’s IWGP World Heavyweight Championship and somehow, they put on an even better match.
There’s nothing I can say which will do justice to this match so go watch it and treat yourself to the best bit of professional wrestling you’ll see till Kenny Omega vs Okada 3.
