Kenny Omega

Learning in Canada and Japan

Kenny Omega started wrestling in Manitoba as a teenager and had a short spell in WWE's developmental system in the mid 2000s. He decided the WWE route was not for him and went to Japan, where he spent years in the comedy-heavy DDT promotion before joining New Japan Pro-Wrestling in 2014 as a junior heavyweight.

Bullet Club and the Okada series

In 2016 he became leader of the Bullet Club stable and moved up to heavyweight. His match with Kazuchika Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 11 on January 4, 2017 lasted around 46 minutes and was widely called one of the best matches ever. Their rivalry continued for several more matches, and in June 2018 Omega won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship from Okada in a two-out-of-three-falls match with no time limit.

He also became the first IWGP United States Champion in 2017.

AEW

In 2019 Omega co-founded All Elite Wrestling with Cody Rhodes, The Young Bucks and owner Tony Khan. He won the AEW World Championship in December 2020 and, through partnerships, held titles from several companies at once. Serious health problems, including diverticulitis, kept him out for long stretches, and he returned in 2025.

Style

Omega is known for long, dramatic matches built on big moves like the V-Trigger knee and the One-Winged Angel, borrowed in name from a video game, plus references to his love of gaming. He is a key figure in the international, cross-promotional style that defines modern wrestling.

Fans who want to see why he is so highly rated can start with the January 2017 Wrestle Kingdom match against Okada, then his matches with Tetsuya Naito, Kota Ibushi and Jon Moxley. Omega also played a role in forming the Elite, a group with The Young Bucks that sold huge amounts of merchandise on the independent scene. His career shows how wrestlers can now build a global following without starting in WWE, using streaming services, social media and cross-promotional shows to reach fans in every country.

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