8 Reasons Why Kazuchika Okada Is #1 In This Year's PWI 500

4. An Era-Defining Rivalry

No feud has generated more buzz than Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega this year.

Kicking off in the aftermath of 'The Cleaner's' G1 Climax 26 triumph last August, its first major bout took place at Wrestle Kingdom 11. A riveting 47-minute classic prompted Dave Meltzer to break his famous match rating system, for the first time since 1994, and while Omega lost, the story continued.

Kenny took a hiatus from NJPW afterwards, but returned prior to March's New Japan Cup, and earned a rematch with Okada at June's Dominion 6.11 pay-per-view. The duo did the unthinkable by somehow topping their first match with a 60-minute time limit draw that felt like a fraction of its colossal runtime, setting the internet ablaze once more, and further enhancing both men's lofty status within the sport.

Their most recent bout took place outwith the PWI 500's window, but regardless, the feud has eclipsed anything that any other promotion has booked this year.

As well warring with Omega, 'The Rainmaker' engaged in a brief, bitter rivalry with Minoru Suzuki earlier this year, clashed with NOAH's Naomichi Marufuji in 2016, and played a key role in Katsuyori Shibata's NJPW redemption story this April, completing a well stocked 12 months' of feuds for the IWGP Champion.