NJPW: Dissecting Kenny Omega’s IWGP Championship Reign

Kenny Omega has been dubbed ‘The best bout machine’ since his enormous surge to the top of NJPW began. From the moment he took over as leader of the Bullet Club, Omega transitioned from the top of the junior heavyweight division into the biggest threat for Kazuchika Okada’s IWGP Championship. Omega was the first ‘Gaijin’ (foreign-born wrestler) to win the G1 Climax tournament in 2016, taking Okada to the limit in a loss at Wrestle Kingdom 11 in what was dubbed by some fans at the time as, ‘The greatest wrestling match of all time’. 

Kenny Omega would go on to have a series of classics with Kazuchika Okada, battling him to a time limit draw at NJPW ‘Dominion’ in 2017 before finally achieving a victory over ‘The Rainmaker’ in the G1 Climax a few months later.

In the summer of 2018, Omega finally achieved his conquest by defeating Okada in a 2 out of 3 falls contest at Dominion (in what is now considered by some as the greatest professional wrestling match of all time) almost one year to the day of their epic draw.

When he finally reached the pinnacle of the New Japan mountain, Omega went on record in an interview with Sports Illustrated saying“I excel in my creativity and ability to draw raw emotion. From these, I’ll tell stories different from Okada’s reign. It won’t necessarily be worse or better, but it will certainly be different. From that, I hope I can add layers of character to everyone I work with.”

As soon as the torch was passed, Omega knew that he would be under a microscope. His style in the ring is unique to most, if not all of the IWGP Champions before him (sans A.J. Styles). The story-telling he incorporates to go along with his fluid athleticism in the ring were the reason the company gave him the championship, making him the fifth wrestler in seven years (and first Canadian-born wrestler) to hold the IWGP title.

He is well-known as an unorthodox, outside-the-box personality who loves video games; his creativity shows with his futuristic and theatrical entrances.

Omega is also a crossover of both ‘Strong Style’ and spectacular showmanship.  New Japan has been thriving on ‘Strong style’ wrestling since it’s inception in 1972. Jushin Liger helping bring a high-flying approach to New Japan in the early 90’s which is highlighted in the company’s ‘Best Of The Super Junior’ tournament. Kenny Omega is the hybrid lovechild that highlights both of these philosophies.

How would that transfer over to the most prestigious title in the promotion?

One of the larger story-lines in the beginning of 2018 was the burgeoning struggle within the Bullet Club Elite. It was at the fore front of Omega’s first title defense vs fellow Elite member Cody at the G1 special in San Francisco. One of Omega’s missions to ‘Change the World’ was to make NJPW more popular worldwide. On this night, the constant strife between Kenny and Cody came to a head, ending the internal struggle within the group.

As usual, Kenny Omega would put on a clinic. The two men battled for over 34 minutes, pulling out all of the stops. Back and forth brawling, psychology, tables and a high-profile ladder spot were among the highlights. Omega hit Cody with the ‘One Winged Angel’ to cap off the end of the feud between the two. They were attacked by the Bullet Club OG’s after the two men had reconciled in the ring.

During the G1 Climax, Omega ripped off 6 consecutive victories to open the B block action. Night after Night, Omega was putting on clinics vs the best of the New Japan roster. Tetsuya Naito, Sanada, and Hiroki Goto were among his victims during this win streak. However, Omega followed that with 3 losses in succession to Tomohiro Ishii,  Yano and his fellow ‘Golden Lovers’ partner Kota Ibushi. His losses to Ishii and Ibushi were widely considered the two best matches of the B block in the 2018 G1.

When the champion loses in the G1, he is obligated to defend his championship vs the opponent(s) who successfully defeated them. First up on the calendar for Kenny Omega was a war against Tomohiro Ishii, who bloodied Omega during their G1 encounter. The contrast in styles makes for such fantastic wrestling and on this night, there would to be no exception. Omega would outlast Ishii in yet another instant classic.

Later on, immediately following The Golden Lovers tag team victory at ‘Fighting Spirit Unleashed’ in California , Omega would grab the microphone and challenge Kota Ibushi to a match the following week at the ‘King Of Pro Wrestling’ in Ryogoku, Japan. The newly-crowned IWGP U.S. champion Cody would intervene during Omega’s challenge to his partner. Cody offered up a triple threat proposal for the Championship. Kenny sighting ‘the beauty and originality’ of professional wrestling accepted the offer and the match was made between the three men.

The match between Omega, Ibushi and Cody would be a thriller. Near falls, double teams, chain wrestling and explosive maneuvers were on full display. A topic of discussion afterwards would be Omega interrupting a sure Ibushi victory by pulling Kota off of Cody at the last-minute, in what was sure to be a three-count. At the end of the night, Omega would once again have his hand raised. Victorious in his third title defense in four months, Omega would grab the microphone to praise Ibushi and Cody in spite of their inability to defeat him. Out came Hiroshi Tanahashi, who had defeated Jay White earlier in the evening and won with the G1 Climax briefcase, ready to become Omega’s next challenger for the IWGP championship at the Tokyo Dome.

Soon after, Tanahashi prevailed in the G1 Climax, defeating Kota Ibushi in one of the best G1 finals of all time. Now it was time for him to step up to the plate and take on ‘The best bout machine’ in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 13. Tanahashi has long represented the traditional style of New Japan and pulled the company up on his shoulders during his ascension to stardom. A 7 time IWGP champion, it was time for Hiroshi Tanahashi to once again step up to the plate and restore what he felt had been abandoned during Omega’s title reign. A beginning, middle and a rock solid conclusion to title matches.

In the ace’s eyes, Omega was a Western Gaijin who was concerned more about high risk, spot fests. “The last 5 minutes of Kenny’s matches are all you need to see.” Omega is far from your traditional IWGP champion. His contrary to the norm has often been his Modus operandi. Conforming to the status quo has never been in Omega’s arsenal. His brand of entertainment was designed to usher in a new era of Japanese wrestling. A high impact style which he feels exemplifies the way wrestling is trending. Thrilling, roller coaster joy rides of emotion and creativity.

Omega and Tanahashi would battle for nearly 40 minutes. The ebbs and flows of the match were a combination of the old guard and new age styles that both men brought to the table in the main event. Omega would display heelish tactics during the match which hadn’t been seen during his championship run. He resorted to mocking The Ace throughout and high-fiving an announcer in a sure-fire display of sarcasm.

The story told during this match was sensational. Omega was out to prove that Tana was washed up and Hiroshi battling to defend the honor of New Japan. In the end after back and forth drama, Hiroshi Tanahashi would prevail on Friday January 4th, 2019 in his amazing bout with Kenny Omega. An all too early, yet obvious candidate for match of the year honors ensued at Wrestle Kingdom 13. In the process, Tanahashi secured the IWGP  championship for the eighth time in his career. 

There are some NJPW fans who are quick to criticize Kenny Omega during his run as the IWGP champion. Omega can be seen as a self promoter, interested more in video games than his run as champion. Yet, Omega was out to prove that there is an alternative to the New Japan norm. In this author’s eyes, he succeeded as a fighting IWGP champion. People will point to Kazuchika Okada’s 12 title defenses in the previous reign, stating he was what a champion exemplifies. This is true and should rightfully be seen as the best ever.

That said, for six months, Omega took on all comers during the G1 and was successful in his multiple title matches. He was battling injuries to his foot and rib during his title run. He vowed to fight threw the pain and represent the championship because simply put, “You can’t disrespect the belt. You can’t take days off.”

To call his championship reign a failure would be unfair. On the contrary, Omega defended the belt with pride, a flair for the dramatic and a raw emotion that wrestling fans in Japan had not seen prior. Whether Omega ventures to the WWE, joins AEW, or stays with New Japan, his penchant to change the World will continue to be mantra. You can guarantee that night in and night out wherever he lands, Kenny Omega will strive to hold on to his ‘Best Bout Machine’ status.