10 Best Non-WWE Wrestlers Of 2017
3. Kenny Omega
Kenny Omega has been the most buzz-worthy professional wrestler in the world since 4 January, when he and Kazuchika Okada blew the roof off the Tokyo Dome. Their first six-star classic set the internet the blaze, and the fire has never fizzled out: in fact, it now burns brighter than ever before.
'The Cleaner' and 'The Rainmaker' outdid themselves in their second meeting, then distilled their previous bouts into a breathtaking 30-minute clash in the G1 Climax, completing what might be the greatest wrestling trilogy of all time with Kenny's cathartic victory. There's more to his 2017 than that, though. Tomohiro Ishii, Tetsuya Naito, Michael Elgin: Omega excelled against them all, and recent work with Juice Robinson and Barreta helped elevate both to new levels of stardom.
Outside the ring, Omega has positioned Bullet Club and The Elite among wrestling's most powerful brands, and was made the face of NJPW's ongoing United Stated expansion back in July. He's a major international star now, and his upcoming bout with Chris Jericho should only solidify this.
A genuine pro wrestling genius, Kenny is operating at the apex of his game at the moment, and it's hard to imagine his 2018 coming and going without at least one IWGP Heavyweight Title reign.