10 Wrestlers Who Broke Dave Meltzer's Rating System In 2017
1. Kenny Omega
In 2017, Kenny Omega became the most important wrestler in the world.
That's not to say he is the most popular, or even the greatest (although, there's certainly merit to that notion). Rather, the impact that Kenny Omega's matches have made in 2017 have dominated the conversation throughout the wrestling world, and have altered the trajectory of certain careers as well as potentially New Japan's business. It began on January 4th, when he and Kazuchika Okada had the second-ever 6 star match. In an absolutely mental feat, they did it twice more, with their second bout achieving the highest-ever rating of 6.25 stars. When the ever-jaded Dave Meltzer claims you've had three of the greatest wrestling matches of all time, you know you're the real deal.
It was with those matches that New Japan's profile rose, and all the talk became about Kenny Omega. His stock increased as he came overseas and became the first IWGP US Champion. Eventually, not even those in WWE's bubble could ignore him. After nearly two decades of unwavering service to Vince McMahon, Chris Jericho jumped ship to New Japan, and is now set for a high-profile Tokyo Dome match against Omega, which has reportedly already resulted in very high ticket sales.
In 2017, Kenny Omega broke Meltzer's rating system, as well as the wrestling world.