10 Awesome Modern Wrestlers Who Made Their Name In Japan
1. Kenny Omega
Noted Japanophile Kenny Omega was drawn to Japan almost instantly - beyond, of course, a retrospectively fascinating early start in WWE developmental territory Deep South Wrestling, in which trainer Bill DeMott did nothing with him because he wasn't one to suck up.
When in Japan, Kenny gleefully thrust himself into all aspects of the culture he grew up fascinated by - particularly the...idiosyncratic fringe. In DDT, to which he was drawn by Kota Ibushi, whom he successfully courted by wrestling a guerrilla, DDT style match as a tryout of sorts, the wild-eyed, theatrical, hugely charismatic Omega unwittingly drew the eternal ire of one Jim Cornette. He wrestled nine year-old girls, and on camping grounds with fireworks and umbrella shields, en route to becoming a meme virtually before we had a word for it.
Infamous in DDT, Omega later became internationally famous in New Japan Pro Wrestling, in which he became one of the best wrestlers on the planet -and of all time.
Adorned in a cool-as-sh*t aesthetic indebted to the nostalgic haven of the 1980s, Omega arguably perfected the modern style with his epic match durations, unreal physical timing, iconic moments of perfectly-sold exhaustion, and an incredibly diverse storytelling craft ranging from the melodramatic to the brutally serious.