The Cleaner has topped this year’s PWI 500 list!
IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega was voted #1 by the editors and writers of Pro Wrestling Illustrated. This is the first time in PWI history that non-WWE wrestlers have received the honor in consecutive years. Last year, fellow NJPW star Kazuchika Okada made the top spot.
"Not only has Kenny Omega managed to set a new standard for excellence in his matches in New Japan Pro Wrestling, but he has also captured the imagination of the fans in a way few others wrestlers have been able to do in recent years," said Senior Writer Dan Murphy, who coordinates the PWI 500 issue. "In a very real way, Kenny Omega embodies 2018 in professional wrestling. His success on his own terms has made him an international phenomenon."
This year's "PWI 500" evaluated the time period from July 31, 2017, to June 30, 2018. Omega, who finished fifth last year, was selected in front of top 10 finishers AJ Styles (2010 winner), Okada (2017 winner), Brock Lesnar (2003 winner), Seth Rollins (2015 winner), Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns (2016 winner), Cody, Tetsuya Naito and The Miz (2011 winner).
This is a well-deserved honor for Omega as he’s been putting on tremendous performances this year. His match with Kazuchika Okada is truly fantastic, along with several other bouts such as his IWGP US Heavyweight title encounter against Chris Jericho at Wrestle Kingdom and His match against Cody at NJPW's G1 Special in San Francisco. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, really.
Omega is scheduled to face Pentagon Jr. at this Saturday's All In pay-per-view from Chicago. The PWI 500 is available for purchase in print and digital formats at
pwi-online.com.
Omega posted a brief response on twitter: