7 Things Kenny Omega must do to be the greatest of all-time
Kenny Omega is the talk of the wrestling world, and some say he is the best currently active wrestler in the world. But if he wants to be the G.O.A.T., he'll need to clear some hurdles first.
He's the current IWGP Heavyweight champion of the world. He's almost single-handedly changed the impetus of the world of pro wrestling. He's Kenny Omega, and many fans and critics agree that he is the best active wrestler in the business today.
How he climbed the mountain of sports entertainment to achieve this goal is as interesting as the man himself. Born Tyson Smith in the great white north of Canada, Omega's first foray into sports was ice hockey. He played the goalie position, a niche reserved for individuals who are both fearless and undeniably tough.
However, when one of his best friends started training as a pro wrestler, Omega became intrigued. While working at an IGA store (if you're from a small town in North America you probably had one growing up) he met Top Rope Wrestling promoter, Bobby Jay.
Omega, still a teenager, worked his way up with several Canadian promotions before being signed by WWE's then-developmental territory, Deep South Wrestling. While in Deep South Wrestling, he turned a lot of heads with his talent and athleticism but ran afoul of Bill Demott, a man who was recently fired by WWE for being cruel to aspiring wrestlers.
However, not everything was awful in Deep South Wrestling. It was there that Omega met and was trained under Squire Dave Taylor, a British wrestler renowned for his technical acumen. Omega states that he didn't really know how to be a pro wrestler until Taylor took him under his wing.
Disgusted with WWE, Omega bounced around different promotions for a while, such as PWG and ROH. He signed with New Japan in 2010 and has steadily built steam ever since. It was his membership in Bullet Club that finally elevated him to the main event. His matches with Okada cemented his status as a world-calibre wrestler, and their bout from earlier this year is still being talked about as a five-star classic.
So, there's no denying that Omega is a grade-A talent. There may even be a lot of evidence to suggest that he is the best active wrestler in the world. If he wants to be considered the greatest of all time, however, he has to accomplish these seven things first.
1. Have a dominant IWGP title reign
Omega is already well on his way toward this goal. While his chase of the title was impressive, turning away challenges is how a champion defines oneself. Much like Hogan, Okada, and Flair all had decisive reigns, Omega needs to do the same.