10 surprising facts you didn't know about Kenny Omega 

#8 He is the first gaijin to win The G1 Climax

Kenny Omega following his triumphant G1 Climax win

The year 2016 was indeed the turning point of Kenny Omega’s career in New Japan Pro Wrestling, after having taken over the leadership of The Bullet Club from AJ Styles at New Year’s Dash, Omega eventually went on to capture the relinquished IWGP Intercontinental Championship defeating ‘The Ace’ Hiroshi Tanahashi at New Beginning in Niigata.

Shortly afterward, Omega also became a double champion when he along with The Young Bucks—collectively known as The Elite—won the Never Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championships. However, within the next few weeks, Omega would lose both of his championship belts, as he turned his focus on his first ever G1 Climax Tournament, since announcing his move to NJPW’s heavyweight division.

During his G1 Climax 26 run, Omega defeated the likes of Tetsuya Naito, Katsuhiko Nakajima, and Evil in order to book his place in the finals of the tournament, having won the B Block with a total of 12 points. In the finals of the G1 26, Omega would face-off in an instant classic against veteran Hirooki Goto, as the former would go on to win his first G1 Climax Tournament in a dominant manner and became the first ever foreign competitor to win the prestigious G1 Tournament.