10 Best Non-WWE Wrestlers Of 2016 (So Far)

5. Kenny Omega

Jay Lethal WCPW
NJPW

Kenny Omega may have lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 10, but 24 hours later, he was all smiles. At New Year Dash, not only did Omega pin Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, but he attacked AJ Styles, ousting him from Bullet Club and supplanting him as the group's leader. In one fell swoop, Omega had become a heavyweight and a main-eventer.

He was announced as the number one contender for Nakamura's title, but the match fell apart when "The King of Strong Style" jumped to WWE. Instead, Omega beat New Japan's top star, Hiroshi Tanahashi, for the vacant Intercontinental Championship, proving that he was the company's new foreign ace.

Omega defeated Michael Elgin in his first title defense, and while he would lose the belt to Elgin in New Japan's first-ever ladder match, another reign and another match with Tanahashi can't be far off.

He's also been dominant in the company's tag team division. The Elite - a trio comprised of Omega and The Young Bucks - have racked up two reigns as NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champions. Given that the belts seem to be tailor-made for them, more success in the division is imminent.

Contributor
Contributor

Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried. *Best Crowd of the Year, 2013