Pro-wrestling superstar Kenny Omega has given himself quite the name in the industry these last few years. From his legendary matches in New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) and his historic matches in the newly organized All Elite Wrestling (AEW), Omega is arguably the greatest pro-wrestler going today. The Elite, including Omega, have one goal in mind: to change the landscape of professional wrestling.
Whether or not AEW can compete and eventually overthrow their competition with the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is the question. One major piece to this puzzle is in one Kenny Omega. Let's talk about some moments from Omega's career that turned this dream into fruition. Here are five ways Kenny Omega is better in AEW and five ways he was better in NJPW.
10 NJPW: Golden Lovers
The team of Kota Ibushi and Kenny Omega debuted in NJPW in January of 2010. While having previous success together in the Dramatic Dream Team promotion (DDT Pro-Wrestling), they would also have success in NJPW when they defeated their rival Apollo 55 for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. It was the first junior heavyweight tag match to win Match Of The Year by Tokyo Sports.
After disbanding in 2014, the Golden Lovers would reunite in 2018 after Omega was kicked out of the Bullet Club by Cody. The duo eventually went on to have legendary tag matches against Cody and Marty Scrull and with The Young Bucks. After Omega won the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship from Kazuchika Okada, The Young Bucks reunited with Omega and formed The Golden Elite that included Ibushi. The duo would disband once again in 2019 once Omega left NJPW for AEW.
9 AEW: Iron Man Match VS PAC
With AEW debuting its promotion in January of 2019, there is room for history to be made very quickly. For example, pro-wrestling superstar Chris Jericho became the inaugural AEW World Champion after defeating "Hangman" Adam Page in the main event at All Out in August of 2019. Kenny Omega and PAC made their history competing in AEW's first-ever Iron Man Match on AEW Dynamite in February of 2020.
The 30-minute Iron Man Match was competitive out the gate. While Omega was about to get his first pinfall, "The Bastard" PAC took it into his own hands and disqualified himself by hitting Omega with a chair. Omega had scored the first pinfall but PAC would tie the score after his malicious attack with a pinfall of his own. After time expired with the score tied at one, Omega would finish PAC with the "One-Winged Angel" finisher and pin him for the victory in sudden death.
8 NJPW: Leader Of The Bullet Club
After A.J. Styles, Karl Anderson, and Doc Gallows (Luke Gallows - WWE) left NJPW for the WWE in 2016, Kenny Omega became the new leader of the Bullet Club. Omega and company differentiated themselves from previous Bullet Club groups by doing a parody of the New World Order (NWO) and Degeneration X (DX) by using their "Too Sweet" and "Suck It" hand gestures. While poking fun at other wrestling promotions, they were also successful in the ring.
With success, came new additions to the group including superstars: Cody, Adam Cole, "Hangman" Adam Page, and Marty Scrull. Omega and The Young Bucks also created a new group within the Bullet Club called "The Elite". The Young Bucks would then begin a YouTube series called Being The Elite that also starred Omega and the Bullet Club members. The YouTube series alone not only gave them recognition in Japan but recognition worldwide.
7 AEW: AAA Mega Championship
In October 2019, Omega defeated pro-wrestling superstar Rey Fenix for the AAA Mega Championship while fighting in the Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide promotion in Mexico. Since then, Omega has defended the title twice on AEW. The two promotions agreed to a partnership in February of 2019 to try and make the sport of pro-wrestling the best it can be. One can only imagine other promotions wanting to join forces with AEW and overthrow WWE once and for all. And there is no better face for a wrestling promotion to overthrow WWE than Kenny Omega.
6 NJPW: The Elite
Once Kenny Omega became the leader of the Bullet Club in 2016, he and The Young Bucks started another group within called "The Elite". As much as they respected the Bullet Club, they felt that they were forced into leading the group when they wanted to start The Elite on their own. Even with the conflict between The Elite and OG Bullet Club members, they were still successful and would do skits together on The Elite's YouTube series Being The Elite. Once Kenny and the gang left for AEW, The Elite consisted of Omega, Young Bucks, Cody, and "Hangman" Adam Page.
5 AEW: Tag-Team Match At Revolution
The AEW Revolution pay-per-view last month was a success. There were a lot of great matches that ended with a huge crowd pop when pro-wrestling superstar Jon Moxley defeated Chris Jericho in the main event and was crowned the new AEW World Champion. But most wrestling fans would say that the tag-team match between Omega and "Hangman" Adam Page VS The Young Bucks stole the show.
Notorious Wrestling Journalist Dave Meltzer gave the match six stars. It is the highest rating he has ever given an AEW match thus far. And it comes to no surprise that Omega was a part of it.
4 NJPW: Being The Elite
In May of 2016, The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega began a YouTube series titled: Being The Elite. What started as a hobby has now become a worldwide phenomenon. The views of the videos started to improve while fans started to recognize just how great The Elite is inside and out of the ring.
Throughout the episodes, you see NJPW and ROH (Ring of Honor) superstars who eventually go on to different promotions to the rising stars of AEW today. It is truly inspiring to see their journey after a few short years. The series alone has given fans more recognition of the NJPW brand and is one of the reasons AEW is on your TV screens today.
3 AEW: Rivalry With Jon Moxley
What started with Moxley throwing Omega off a stack of poker chips at AEW: Double or Nothing in 2019, has been turning into Omega's most hardcore rivalry in his pro-wrestling career. In the first episode of AEW Dynamite, Moxley put Omega through a glass table while performing his finisher called the "Paradime Shift". They finally had a match at the Full Gear pay-per-view in November of 2019. It was the most hardcore match AEW fans have seen thus far - Moxley was victorious. This brutal rivalry has just begun and you might see these two cross paths once again at this year's Double or Nothing pay-per-view for the AEW World Championship.
2 NJPW: Rivalry With Kazuchika Okada
Kenny Omega's rivalry with Kazuchika Okada is one of the greatest rivalries in pro-wrestling history. They have had some of the greatest matches of all-time including a 60-minute draw. Their match at Wrestle Kingdom 11 has revived wrestling fans to become diehard once again.
They bring the best out of each other. They have battled for the most prestigious prize NJPW has to offer - each was/became IWGP World Heavyweight Champion during the rivalry. The best part is that if NJPW and AEW start a partnership, the rivalry will continue in Japan and the United States for years to come.
1 AEW: Creative Control
Any pro wrestlers dream is to have creative control in the promotion they work for. But that is not the case for some wrestlers in the industry. All Elite Wrestling gives there superstars that power and privilege. It is one of the reasons why some wrestlers have come to AEW once their contract had expired with their previous promotions. A mega-star like Kenny Omega with that kind of power will not only bring the best out of him, but it will bring the best out of the product as a whole and to the superstars that want to join AEW in the future.