10 Things Kenny Omega Must Do In NJPW 2017

Of all the boxes Kenny managed to tick in 2016, there is one big, glaring empty space.

The IWGP Heavyweigth Championship is one of, if not the most prestigious belts in wrestling. It raised AJ Styles from just another talented foreigner to one of the most accomplished performers worldwide. It cemented Tanahashi as a Japanese Icon and is now doing the same for Okada. Though he only held it for a few weeks it sent Naito's heel persona to the stratosphere when he won it earlier last year. For all the hype that Kenny has generated this is the exclamation point his current rise needs, and he's given himself at least one more year to try and get it.

Wrestling the belt from Okada's grip is a monumental task as NJPW value lengthy Heavyweight title reigns. Kenny needs to win the belt to attain the physical evidence of what many people currently believe: that he is the only wrestler currently active that can challenge AJ Styles for the moniker of 'best in the world'. The emotional roller-coaster the fans went through at WK11 will only get crazier when The Cleaner takes his next shot at the prize.