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Kenny Omega

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Tyson Smith (October 16, 1983) is a Canadian professional wrestler better known by the ring name Kenny Omega. He is an executive vice president of All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he is also signed as a performer.

Omega is best known for his tenure in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, during which he held the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, the IWGP United States Championship, and the IWGP Intercontinental Championship among other titles. Also known for his video games-inspired persona, he was a member of the Bullet Club stable, later serving as the group's leader. He became the first and only non-Japanese professional wrestler to win the G1 Climax, the promotion's premier tournament, when he defeated Hirooki Goto in the 2016 finals. Throughout his career, Omega has also performed as part of larger national and international promotions, such as Ring of Honor, as well as independent promotions worldwide, including DDT Pro Wrestling, Jersey All Pro Wrestling, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla.

Hailed as one of the best wrestlers in the world, Omega was named Sports Illustrated' s Wrestler of the Year in 2017 and topped Pro Wrestling Illustrated' s list of top 500 male wrestlers the following year. He has also attained the latter publication's Match of the Year distinction twice; one of those matches, in which Omega competed against Kazuchika Okada in a two out of three falls match at Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-jo Hall in June 2018, received a seven-star rating from combat sports journalist Dave Meltzer, the highest rating Meltzer has ever awarded a professional wrestling match.

Early life

Tyson Smith was born in Transcona, Winnipeg, Manitoba on October 16, 1983. As of 2016, Smith's mother works in family services while his father works for the Canadian government as a transport officer. Smith's affinity toward professional wrestling began during childhood when he watched tapes of WWE (then-WWF)'s Saturday Night's Main Event, which became his favorite program. Growing up, Smith played ice hockey as a goalie. He also worked at branches of retailers IGA and Costco.

Smith first became interested in a career in professional wrestling after one of his friends from Transcona Collegiate Institute (TCI) began training with Top Rope Championship Wrestling (TRCW) in Winnipeg. Smith ended his ice hockey career plans and began training under TRCW promoter Bobby Jay, whom he met while he was stacking shelves at an IGA store. After training with Jay for a year, 16-year-old Smith made his professional wrestling debut in the year 2000. He went on to wrestle as part of TRCW for two years, where he developed the gimmick of a Hawaiian surfer named "Kenny Omega". The surfer aspect was later dropped and replaced with an otaku-influenced gimmick. In 2001, he graduated from TCI and enrolled in university, but dropped out during his first year in order to fully pursue professional wrestling.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (2001–2006)

In 2001, Omega debuted in the Winnipeg-based promotion Premier Championship Wrestling (PCW). Omega defeated Adam Knight for the PCW Heavyweight Championship on September 18, 2003. He lost the title to Rawskillz on November 26. In August 2004, he teamed with Rawskillz and defeated Shawn Houston and Chris Raine for the PCW Tag Team Championship, only to lose the title back to Houston and Raine the following month. On October 17, Omega appeared at the National Wrestling Alliance's 56th Anniversary Show, where he unsuccessfully challenged Petey Williams for the TNA X Division Championship.

Omega lost to Tommy Knoxville at Millennium Wrestling Federation's March 2005 ULTRA event. He later won an eight-man tournament, defeating Nate Hardy, Chris Sabin, and Amazing Red, to win the Premier Cup and the NWA Canada X-Division Championship on June 2. Omega lost the title to Rawskillz on September 15. Nine days later, Omega made an appearance for Harley Race's World League Wrestling promotion in Eldon, Missouri, losing to Keith Walker in a match. After the match, he was invited to a week-long tryout by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). In October 2005, Smith was sent to Deep South Wrestling (DSW), WWE's then-developmental territory for a tryout, after which he was offered a developmental contract and subsequently assigned to DSW full-time. He made his debut on October 27, 2005, losing to Mack Johnson. In August 2006, he requested his immediate release from his contract to return to Premier Championship Wrestling.

Omega later stated that his time in DSW was poor, particularly criticizing promoters Bill DeMott and Jody Hamilton, and trainer Bob Holly. Nevertheless, he also expressed praise for trainer Dave Taylor. Omega has claimed that WWE has since approached him several times with a contract, including in the spring of 2014, three times in 2015, and in early 2019, and that he turned them down every time.

Return to PCW (2006–2019)

After his release from WWE, Omega tried to find a career in mixed martial arts and entered a few Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournaments before deciding to return to professional wrestling. Omega then reinvented his wrestling persona and developed a new move set, which he felt could not be duplicated. On September 14, 2006, Omega made his return to PCW, defeating Rawskillz to earn a match with A.J. Styles, whom he also defeated in the main event the following week. In June 2007, he defeated Petey Williams in the finals of the Premier Cup to win the tournament for the second time. In September, Omega made his pay-per-view debut in Starting Point, the first pay-per-view for Wrestling Fan Xperience, battling Último Dragón in a match that lasted 25 minutes.

On January 31, 2008, Omega defeated Mike Angels to win the PCW Heavyweight Championship for the third time. On March 6, Omega lost the title back to Angels in a three-way match that also included Jon Cutler. However, Omega defeated Angels to regain the PCW Heavyweight Championship for the fourth time just two weeks later. Omega would lose the championship to Will Damon on March 10, 2011, ending his reign at 1,085 days. Since losing the championship, Omega continued to appear sporadically for PCW and since has become a two-time PCW Tag Team Champion. Omega returned to PCW for the promotion's 17th anniversary event in March 2019, competing in a six-man tag team match, in which Omega's team was defeated.

Jersey All Pro Wrestling (2007–2012)

Omega made his debut for Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW) on September 8, 2007, where he was defeated by Danny Demanto in a match. On March 8, 2008, Omega captured the JAPW Heavyweight Championship by defeating Low Ki in Jersey City, New Jersey. That same day, he was in attendance at Women Superstars Uncensored's first-anniversary show in Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey. On April 19, 2009, Omega successfully retained his title against Frankie Kazarian at Spring Massacre. On July 10, Omega successfully defended his title against Jon Cutler in his hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba. On February 28, 2009, at Jersey City Rumble Omega lost the JAPW Heavyweight Championship to Jay Lethal, after his associate Dan Maff turned on him, ending his reign at 357 days.

Omega's next JAPW appearance took place on December 10, 2010, in a six-way elimination match for the JAPW Light Heavyweight Championship. Omega was eliminated from the match by the eventual winner, Jushin Thunder Liger. On May 15, 2011, Omega defeated Liger in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during New Japan Pro-Wrestling's inaugural United States tour to win the JAPW Light Heavyweight Championship. In a July 2013 interview, Omega said that although JAPW had not held a show since April 14, 2012, he would be interested in returning to the company, citing he still held the JAPW Light Heavyweight Championship. JAPW declared the Light Heavyweight Championship vacant on September 12, 2014, stripping Omega of the title in the process; he has not competed for the promotion since.

Ring of Honor (2008–2010, 2016–2017)

On July 25, 2008, Omega made his Ring of Honor (ROH) debut, losing to Delirious in Toronto, Ontario. The following night, Omega competed at ROH New Horizons, losing to Silas Young. After a losing streak, Omega gained his first victories by gaining two pinfalls over ROH World Champion Austin Aries in December. On November 14, 2009, Omega competed against Aries' for the ROH World Championship but was defeated. At Final Battle 2009, Omega competed in a Four-Corner Survival match, which was won by Claudio Castagnoli. Omega only made six appearances for ROH in 2010 due to his growing schedule and popularity in Japan, with his match against Christopher Daniels on June 19 at Death Before Dishonor VIII being his final appearance for the promotion for nearly six years.

In February 2016, it was reported that Omega had signed to become a regular competitor for ROH. He wrestled his return match on February 20 at the Honor Rising: Japan 2016 event, where he and The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) won the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship. Months later, it was reported that Omega was having issues with his visa. Towards the end of the year, despite having the opportunity to return to ROH, Omega was asked by NJPW not to take any outside bookings heading into Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome, and thus Omega did not appear for ROH for the rest of 2016. He returned to ROH after an 18-month break in October 2017.

Dramatic Dream Team/DDT Pro-Wrestling (2008–2014, 2019)

In 2006, Omega became captivated by Japanese wrestler Kota Ibushi after watching him perform as part of Japanese promotion Dramatic Dream Team (DDT), so he uploaded videos of himself having a DDT-style match to YouTube, in hopes they would interest Ibushi into working with him. After seeing the videos, DDT invited Omega to Japan to wrestle Ibushi, which Omega accepted; he made his first appearance for the promotion in August 2008. Omega stated that wrestling in Japan had been one of his dreams, as the local scene appealed to his creative side, feeling that he was able to show his personality and express himself. He and Ibushi then formed a tag team named the Golden☆Lovers, later winning the KO-D Tag Team Championship on January 21, 2009. Omega and Ibushi suffered a loss to Francis Togo and Taka Michinoku in May, losing their title in the process.

In 2011, Omega competed in a match against a nine-year-old girl named Haruka. A video of the match went viral, making international news and receiving polarizing responses, after which Omega received death threats. Professional wrestler Mick Foley, conversely, praised Omega's work as a heel, asking why he was not on national television. Omega later stated that he was asked to work with Haruka due to the safe nature of his work and that he personally trained her before their match. In the same year, Omega represented DDT in All Japan Pro Wrestling's 2011 Junior League, making his debut for the promotion on September 11. After three wins and two losses, he finished second in his block and did not advance to the finals.

On October 23, Omega defeated Kai to become the new World Junior Heavyweight Champion. He lost the title back to Kai on May 27, 2012, in his sixth title defense, ending his reign at 217 days. On December 23, Omega defeated El Generico to win the KO-D Openweight Championship for the first time. On January 27, 2013, Omega defeated Isami Kodaka in a title vs. title match to retain the KO-D Openweight Championship and win the DDT Extreme Division Championship, becoming a double champion in the process. He lost the KO-D Openweight Championship to Shigehiro Irie on March 20, 2013. On May 26, Omega once again became a double champion when he, Ibushi, and Gota Ihashi defeated the Monster Army (Antonio Honda, Daisuke Sasaki and Yuji Hino) for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship. After a reign of only 28 days, Omega's team lost the title to Antonio Honda, Hoshitango and Yuji Hino on June 23. On August 25, Omega lost the DDT Extreme Division Championship to Danshoku Dino.

On January 26, 2014, Omega and Ibushi defeated Yankee Nichokenju (Isami Kodaka and Yuko Miyamoto) and Konosuke Takeshita and Tetsuya Endo in a three-way match to win the KO-D Tag Team Championship. On April 12, Omega and Ibushi became double tag team champions when they teamed with Daisuke Sasaki to defeat Team Drift (Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie and Soma Takao) for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship. Their reign, however, lasted only 22 days, as they lost the title to Shuten-dōji (Kudo, Masa Takanashi and Yukio Sakaguchi) on May 4. On September 28, Omega and Ibushi lost the KO-D Tag Team Championship to Konosuke Takeshita and Tetsuya Endo. On October 26, Omega wrestled his final DDT match, where he and Ibushi defeated Danshoku Dino and Konosuke Takeshita.

Omega returned to DDT for the promotion's Ultimate Party event on November 3, 2019, during which he and Riho scored a victory over Antonio Honda and Miyu Yamashita in a tag team match.

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (2008–2010, 2012, 2014, 2017)

On November 1, 2008, Omega made his Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) debut at the 2008 Battle of Los Angeles, where he was defeated in the first round of the tournament by local talent Brandon Bonham. The next night, during a three-way tag team match in which Omega competed, he was Irish whipped into the ropes by Davey Richards, only for the force to snap the middle and bottom ropes, throwing Omega out of the ring. Three months later, Omega returned to the company at Express Written Consent, where he was defeated by El Generico, after senior referee Rick Knox grew tired of Omega abusing him and hit him with a leaping clothesline. On April 11, 2009 at Ninety-Nine, Omega picked up his first victory in PWG by defeating Davey Richards after a Croyt's Wrath. The following day at PWG's hundredth show, Omega was defeated by Bryan Danielson.

On November 20, 2009, Omega entered his second Battle of Los Angeles, which was contested for the vacant PWG World Championship. Omega defeated Kevin Steen, Scott Lost, and Joey Ryan in the first, quarter, and semifinal rounds, respectively. Omega defeated Roderick Strong in the final round to win both the 2009 Battle of Los Angeles, effectively becoming the PWG World Champion. On February 27, 2010, at As the Worm Turns Omega lost the championship to Richards in his first defense.

On October 27, 2012, Omega made his first appearance for PWG in over two and a half years at Failure to Communicate when he teamed with El Generico in a tag team match, where they defeated The Young Bucks. Omega returned to PWG on August 29, 2014, to compete in the 2014 Battle of Los Angeles weekend, advancing all the way to the semifinals until he was eliminated by the eventual winner of the tournament, Ricochet. Omega returned to PWG on September 2, 2017, during the 2017 Battle of Los Angeles weekend, teaming with The Young Bucks in a six-man tag team main event, where they defeated Flamita, Penta 0M, and Rey Fenix.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling

Golden☆Lovers (2010–2014)

Main article: Golden Lovers

On January 31, 2010, Omega made his debut for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in a tag team match, where he and Kota Ibushi, as the Golden☆Lovers, defeated Gedo and Jado via disqualification, during which Jado suffered a legitimate neck injury after a suicide dive from Omega. In September, Omega battled Prince Devitt for Devitt's IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, where Omega was defeated. On October 11 at Destruction '10, the Golden☆Lovers defeated Devitt and Ryusuke Taguchi, collectively as Apollo 55, to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. The Golden☆Lovers later successfully retained the title over the teams of Devitt and Taguchi as well as Gedo and Jado, respectively. On January 23, 2011, at Fantastica Mania 2011, an NJPW and Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre co-promoted event in Tokyo, the Golden☆Lovers lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship back to Devitt and Taguchi. On May 26, Omega entered the 2011 Best of the Super Juniors and opened his tournament with a five match win streak, only to lose his last three matches and finish third in his block, narrowly missing the semifinals of the tournament.

Omega returned to NJPW in May 2013 to take part in the 2013 Best of the Super Juniors, where he managed to win five out of his eight round-robin matches, advancing to the semifinals of the tournament. On June 9, Omega was defeated in his semifinal match by Devitt, following interference from Devitt's Bullet Club stable. A year later, Omega returned to take part in New Japan's 2014 Best of the Super Juniors tournament from May 30 to June 6, finishing with a record of three wins and four losses, with a loss against Taichi on the final day, which cost him a spot in the semifinals.

Bullet Club and The Elite (2014–2017)

Main articles: Bullet Club and The Elite (professional wrestling)

On October 3, 2014, NJPW held a press conference to announce that Omega was set to sign with the promotion once his DDT contract expired on October 26. Omega, dubbing himself the "Cleaner", made his debut under contract on November 8 at Power Struggle, where he was revealed as the newest member of Bullet Club, despite having previously dismissed the idea of joining the villainous foreigner stable, claiming that he did not consider himself a gaijin. Omega wrestled his first match as a member of Bullet Club at Wrestle Kingdom 9 in Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2015, defeating Ryusuke Taguchi to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship for the first time. He retained the title over Taguchi in a rematch on February 11 at The New Beginning in Osaka.

In the following months, he successfully defended the title against Máscara Dorada at Invasion Attack 2015 and Alex Shelley at Wrestling Dontaku 2015. On July 5 at Dominion 7.5 in Osaka-jo Hall, Omega was defeated by Kushida for the title. On September 23 at Destruction in Okayama, Omega regained the title back from Kushida, following an interference from his Bullet Club stablemate Karl Anderson. On January 4, 2016, Omega once again lost the title to Kushida at Wrestle Kingdom 10 in Tokyo Dome. The following day, Omega teamed with Bullet Club leader A.J. Styles to defeat Shinsuke Nakamura and Yoshi-Hashi in a tag team match. After the match, Bullet Club turned on Styles, with Omega taking over the leadership of the stable.

On February 14 at The New Beginning in Niigata, Omega defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi to win the vacant IWGP Intercontinental Championship. Six days later at Honor Rising: Japan 2016, Omega became a double champion when he and The Young Bucks–the Bullet Club subgroup known as the Elite–defeated Jay Briscoe, Mark Briscoe, and Toru Yano for the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship. They lost the title to Hiroshi Tanahashi, Michael Elgin and Yoshitatsu on April 10 at Invasion Attack 2016. On April 27, Omega successfully retained the IWGP Intercontinental Championship over Elgin, which marked the first time two Canadians main evented an NJPW event. On May 3 at Wrestling Dontaku 2016, the Elite regained the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship from Elgin, Tanahashi, and Yoshitatsu. On June 19 at Dominion 6.19 in Osaka-jo Hall, Omega lost the IWGP Intercontinental Championship to Elgin in NJPW's inaugural ladder match. On July 3, the Elite lost the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship to Matt Sydal, Ricochet and, Satoshi Kojima.

From July 22 to August 13, Omega took part in the round-robin portion of the 2016 G1 Climax, where he advanced to the finals after winning his block with a record of six wins and three losses. On August 14, Omega defeated Hirooki Goto in the finals to win the 2016 G1 Climax and earn an opportunity to compete for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2017. Omega not only won the tournament in his first attempt, but also became the first non-Japanese G1 Climax winner in history. Omega was defeated by IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome. At 46 minutes and 45 seconds, the match was the longest in the history of the January 4 Tokyo Dome Show.Wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer gave the match a six-star rating in his Wrestling Observer Newsletter, adding that Omega and Okada "may have put on the greatest match in pro wrestling history" and that it was the best match he had ever seen. The match was also praised by fellow professional wrestlers Daniel Bryan, Mick Foley, and Stone Cold Steve Austin.

On January 6, 2017, Omega announced on Twitter that he would be "stepping away from Japan to reassess [his] future", adding that he was "weighing all options". On January 26, Omega appeared on Wrestling Observer Radio, announcing he had made a decision regarding his future and that he would be flying back to Japan in mid-February to negotiate a new deal with NJPW for "at least one more year". On February 3, NJPW announced that Omega would return to the promotion during the Honor Rising: Japan 2017 events. On May 3 at Wrestling Dontaku 2017, after defeating Tomohiro Ishii in the main event, Omega was nominated by Kazuchika Okada as his next challenger for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. The title match between Omega and Okada on June 11 at Dominion 6.11 in Osaka-jo Hall ended in a 60-minute time limit draw. This match was rated 6¼ stars by Dave Meltzer, higher than their previous match, making it the highest-rated match by Meltzer at that time.

Dissension within Bullet Club and departure (2017–2019)

On the first night of G1 Special in USA in July 2017, signs of dissension between new Bullet Club member Cody and Omega began to show. During the two-day event, Omega defeated Michael Elgin, Jay Lethal, and finally Tomohiro Ishii in the special's eight-man tournament to become the inaugural IWGP United States Champion. On August 12, Omega defeated Okada to win his block in the 2017 G1 Climax with a record of seven wins and two losses, advancing to the finals of the tournament. The following day, Omega was defeated by Tetsuya Naito in the finals of the tournament. Omega successfully defended the IWGP United States Championship against Juice Robinson on September 24 at Destruction in Kobe and later Yoshi-Hashi on October 15 at the NJPW and ROH co-produced Global Wars: Chicago event. Omega then defeated Beretta on November 5 at Power Struggle, after which he accepted a challenge from Chris Jericho for a match at Wrestle Kingdom 12. At the event on January 4, 2018, Omega defeated Jericho in a no disqualification match to retain the IWGP United States Championship.

On January 28, 2018, Omega lost the title to Jay White at The New Beginning in Sapporo. After the match, Bullet Club member Adam Page confronted White but was stopped by Omega, who accepted defeat, which brought out Cody. After months of tension, Omega and Cody faced off, resulting in Cody hitting Omega with his finishing move. When Page attempted to assist Cody to further attack Omega, Kota Ibushi returned to the ring after having competed earlier in the night to save his former partner, leading to an embrace between Omega and Ibushi, thus turning Omega face for the first time since 2014 and reuniting the Golden☆Lovers.

On June 9, Omega defeated Okada in a two out of three falls match with no time limit for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-jo Hall, becoming the first Canadian wrestler to win the title in the process. The match received a seven-star rating from Meltzer, which remains the highest rating ever given to a match. Omega then defeated Cody at NJPW's G1 Special in San Francisco on July 7, retaining his title as well as reaffirming his leadership of Bullet Club. However, during Omega's post-match celebration with the Young Bucks, the three were attacked stablemates Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, and King Haku, who targeted Omega, the Young Bucks, Cody, and every single member of the stable who tried to make the save and then declared themselves the "BC Firing Squad" as well as the "real Bullet Club". Omega then successfully defended his title against Ishii at Destruction, and later at King of Pro-Wrestling, where he defeated Cody and Ibushi in a three-way match.

On the October 30 episode of the Talk is Jericho podcast, Matt Jackson confirmed that Cody, Scurll, and Page have joined the Elite and that the Elite have left Bullet Club, ending the rivalry between the Bullet Club OGs and the Elite. On January 4, 2019, Omega lost the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to Hiroshi Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom 13, ending his reign at 209 days. He departed NJPW after his contract expired at the end of January.

All Elite Wrestling (2019–present)

Omega signed a four-year contract with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) on February 7, 2019. Along with Cody and Matt and Nick Jackson, Omega serves as an executive vice president of the promotion as well as one of its in-ring talents. He made his debut for the promotion at its inaugural pay-per-view, Double or Nothing, where he lost to Chris Jericho in the main event, after which both men were attacked by the debuting Jon Moxley. The following month at AEW Fyter Fest, Omega attacked Moxley in retaliation for Moxley's previous assault. A match between Omega and Moxley was scheduled for the AEW ALL OUT pay-per-view, however, Moxley pulled out of the match due to a Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection. Omega instead competed against Pac at the event, during which he was defeated. On the inaugural episode of Dynamite on October 2, Omega competed in a six-man tag team match alongside the Young Bucks against Chris Jericho, Santana and Ortiz, during which Omega was put through a glass table and consequently taken out by Moxley; Omega's team went on to lose the contest. In the main event of Full Gear on November 9, Omega was defeated by Moxley in an unsanctioned Lights Out match.

At Chris Jericho's Rock 'N' Wrestling Rager at Sea Part Deux: Second Wave, which aired on the January 22, 2020 episode of Dynamite, Omega and Adam Page defeated SoCal Uncensored (Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky) to win the AEW World Tag Team Championship, marking the first title change in the promotion's history. At AEW Revolution on February 29, Omega and Page retained the championship against the Young Bucks.

Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (2019–present)

On August 3, 2019, Omega made his debut for Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) as part of the promotion's partnership with AEW at its Triplemanía XXVII event, teaming with Matt and Nick Jackson in a losing effort against Fénix, Pentagón Jr., and Laredo Kid, after which Omega challenged Fénix for his AAA Mega Championship. At Héroes Inmortales XIII, Omega defeated Fénix to win the title. Omega successfully defended the title against Jack Evans on the November 26 episode of Dark. On December 1, Omega competed against Dragon Lee in his second title defense at Triplemanía Regia, where he was victorious. Omega defeated Sammy Guevara to retain the championship on the March 25 episode of Dynamite.

Professional wrestling style and persona

A fan of video games, Smith incorporates ideas from the medium into wrestling maneuvers, entrance music, and gimmick concepts. His ring name "Kenny Omega" was originally inspired by the character Omega Weapon from the Final Fantasy video game series; other examples include him naming one of his finishing maneuvers the One-Winged Angel, a reference to Final Fantasy VII's Sephiroth, making use of variations of Mega Man antagonist Dr. Wily's theme music as entrance themes, and utilizing the Hadouken attack from the Street Fighter series as a signature move. For his final appearance for NJPW at Wrestle Kingdom 13, Smith collaborated with Undertale creator Toby Fox to create a custom entrance video in the style of the game, scored to a remix of the final boss theme "Hopes and Dreams". In addition to video games, Smith also draws inspiration from the television show Star Trek: The Next Generation and superhero cartoons to develop elements of his in-ring persona. Smith also donned ring gear inspired by the character Akuma from the Street Fighter series at Fyter Fest in June 2019.

During his run under a villainous persona, Smith, who is fluent in Japanese, stopped talking in Japanese and instead did his interviews in English. In reality, he was told that his otaku gimmick was "too bubbly" for Bullet Club, which led to him adopting the "Cleaner" nickname, which was intended to be a reference to people who clean up crime scenes. His look as the "Cleaner" was inspired by Albert Wesker from the Resident Evil video game series as well as Sylvester Stallone's character Marion "Cobra" Cobretti from the film Cobra. Although Smith originally intended to embody the gimmick straightforwardly, he later integrated comedy into the persona as a response to people who thought he was portraying a janitor, doing so by coming out for his matches holding a mop and a broom.

Personal life

Smith considers himself straight edge, as he abstains from alcohol, tobacco, and drug consumption. He has a younger sister. Smith resides in the Katsushika ward in the east end of Tokyo and is fluent in Japanese. Smith told ESPN.com in October 2016 that he "loved Japanese culture before even realizing it was, in fact, Japanese culture" and that his favorite video games and cartoons were Japanese. He has since obtained Japanese citizenship. Regarding his life outside of wrestling, Smith said in 2016 that he had no time to think about relationships because he was completely focused on his wrestling goals. He is close friends with fellow professional wrestler and former tag team partner Michael Nakazawa.

A self-professed avid gamer, Smith previously hosted a YouTube series called Cleaner's Corner, which documented himself playing some of his favorite video games. He also attends video game conventions during his spare time. On June 26, 2016, he made a special guest appearance at Community Effort Orlando, defeating WWE wrestler Xavier Woods in a match of Street Fighter V. Smith would later portray the character Cody Travers in a live-action portion for the character's reveal trailer for Street Fighter V.

In wrestling

  • Finishing moves
    • Croyt's Wrath (Electric chair dropped into a bridging German suplex, sometimes from the second rope) – Innovated and used as a signature move thereafter
    • Katayoku no Tenshi / One-Winged Angel (One-handed electric chair driver) 2011 - present
    • Aoi Shoudou (Cross-legged fisherman buster sometimes dropped onto the knee or into a sitout position) used as a signature move thereafter
  • Signature moves
    • 450 splash
    • Bloody Sunday (Lifting single underhook brainbuster) - 2016; used rarely thereafter; parodied from Prince Devitt
    • Chainsaw Arms (Forearm face rake, with theatrics)
    • Cradle Back-to-belly piledriver
    • Double underhook piledriver - 2017- present
    • Dr. Wily Bomb (Deadlift gutwrench sitout powerbomb)
    • EX Hadouken (High-impact double palm thrust to a kneeling opponent's face, with theatrics)
    • Flash Man's Time Stopper (Step-up enzuigiri, with theatrics)
    • Greetings From Winnipeg (Low blow, with theatrics)
    • Hadouken (Double palm thrust to the opponent's chest)
    • Kotaro Krusher (Leapfrog transitioned into a one-handed bulldog)
    • Missile dropkick to the back of an opponent's head
    • Multiple suplex variations
      • Dragon Rebirth (Twisting Dragon Suplex)
      • Dragon Rush (Snap Dragon Suplex)
      • Dragon Revolution (Pumphandle Flipping Release half Nelson Suplex)
      • Deadlift German Suplex
    • Rain Trigger (Wrist lock transitioned into a short-arm bicycle high knee)
    • Reverse frankensteiner
    • Rise of the Terminator (Suicide somersault senton)
    • Springboard moonsault
    • Styles Clash (Back to Belly Mat Slam) 2016; used rarely thereafter; parodied from A.J. Styles
    • Tony Jaa (Running double knee strike, with theatrics)
    • You Can't Escape (Rolling fireman's carry slam followed by a moonsault from middle rope)
    • V-Trigger (Running Bicycle Knee Strike)
  • With Kota Ibushi
    • Finishing moves
      • Golden Shower (Simultaneous 450 splashes from the same turnbuckle)
      • Golden-Trigger (Simultaneous wrist-locks into knee strikes)
      • Cross Slash (simultaneous Golden Triangles)
  • Nicknames
    • "Canadian X"
    • "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt"
    • "King of the Anywhere Match"
    • "The Best Bout Machine"
    • "The Cleaner"
    • "The Cornerstone"
    • "The Destiny Flower"
    • "The Master of the Dark Hadou"
  • Entrance themes
    • "Attenzione" by Flashrider (JAPW)
    • "Dr. Wily I (Mega Man 20th Anniversary Techno Version)" by Ogeretsu Kun, Manami Ietel and Yuukichan's Papa (DDT)
    • "Dr. Wily Stage 1 – Omegaman Mix" by Rock-Men (DDT)
    • "Air Man ga Taosenai / I Cannot Defeat Airman" by Team.Nekokan (DDT; while a part of Golden☆Lovers)
    • "Shot'Em" by [Q]Brick (NJPW; used while a part of Bullet Club)
    • "Devil's Sky" by Yonosuke Kitamura (NJPW)
    • "Devil's Sky (Tokyo Dome 2016 Ver.)" by Yonosuke Kitamura
    • "Devil's Sky (Tokyo Dome 2017 Ver.)" by Yonosuke Kitamura
    • "Hopes And Dreams/Save The World" by GaMetal
    • "Megalovania" by Toby Fox
    • "Battle Cry" by Little V

Championships and accomplishments

  • Japan Indy Grand Prix
    • Best Bout Award (2008) vs. Kota Ibushi on August 06
    • Best Bout Award (2012) vs. Kota Ibushi on August 18
    • Best Bout Award (2014) with Kota Ibushi vs.Konosuke Takeshita and Tetsuya Endo on September 28
  • Premier Championship Wrestling
    • PCW Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
    • PCW Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Rawskillz (1) and Chris Stevens (1)
    • Premier Cup (2005, 2007)
    • Best Finishing Move of the Year (2009) Hadouken
    • Best Finishing Move of the Year (2010–2011) Croyt's Wrath
    • Best Mic Skills (2009–2011)[104]
    • Best News of the Year (2009) Omega captures IWGP gold
    • Best News of the Year (2010) Omega Becomes Hottest Indy Sensation in the World
    • Feud of the Year (2008) vs. Mike Angels
    • Feud of the Year (2010) with The Experience vs. Antonio Scorpio Jr.
    • Feud of the Year (2011) with The Experience vs. Will Damon
    • Funniest Moment of the Year (2008–2009) Omega's Invisible Props
    • Funniest Moment of the Year (2011) Omega Forces Chad Tatum to Suck Rope
    • Maneuver of the Year (2011) Super Croyt's Wrath with Chris Stevens
    • Match of the Year (2002) vs. Mentallo
    • Match of the Year (2003) vs. Robby Royce
    • Match of the Year (2005) vs. Rawskillz
    • Match of the Year (2006) vs. A.J. Styles
    • Match of the Year (2008) vs. Mike Angels
    • Match of the Year (2010) vs. Davey Richards
    • Match of the Year (2011) vs. Antonio Scorpio Jr.
    • Most Likely to Make it in 2009
    • Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (2003, 2006–2011)
    • Most Shocking Moment of the Year (2005) Omega signs WWE contract
    • Most Shocking Moment of the Year (2006) Omega returns from WWE to challenge A.J. Styles
    • Tag Team of the Year (2011) – with Chris Stevens
    • Wrestler of the Year (2003, 2007–2011)
  • Pro Wrestling Illustrated
    • PWI ranked him #1 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2018
    • Feud of The Year (2017) vs. Kazuchika Okada
    • Match of The Year (2017) vs. Kazuchika Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 11
    • Match of The Year (2018) vs. Kazuchika Okada at Dominion 6.9
  • Ring of Honor
    • Feud of the Year (2018) – vs. Cody
  • SoCal Uncensored
    • Match of The Year (2017) vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW, July 2)
    • Match of The Year (2018) with Kota Ibushi vs. The Young Bucks (NJPW, March 25)
  • Sports Illustrated
    • Wrestler of the Year (2017)
  • Weekly Pro Wrestling
    • Best Bout Award (2010) with Kota Ibushi vs. Prince Devitt and Ryusuke Taguchi (NJPW, October 11)
    • Best Bout Award (2016) vs. Tetsuya Naito (NJPW, August 13)
    • Best Bout Award (2017) vs. Kazuchika Okada (NJPW, January 4)
    • Best Foreigner Award (2016, 2017, 2018)
    • Best Tag Team Award (2010) with Kota Ibushi
  • Wrestling Observer Newsletter
    • 5 Star Match (2016) vs. Tetsuya Naito on August 13
    • 6 Star Match (2017) vs. Kazuchika Okada on January 4th
    • 6 1/4 Star Match (2017) vs. Kazuchika Okada on June 11
    • 6 Star Match (2017) vs. Kazuchika Okada on August 12
    • 5 3/4 Star Match (2017) vs. Tetsuya Naito on August 13
    • 5 Star Match (2018) vs. Chris Jericho on January 4
    • 5 Star Match (2018) with Kota Ibushi vs. The Young Bucks on March 25
    • 7 Star Match (2018) vs. Kazuchika Okada on June 9
    • 5 Star Match (2018) vs. Tetsuya Naito on July 15
    • 5 Star Match (2018) vs. Hirooki Goto on July 19
    • 5 1/2 Star Match (2018) vs. Tomohiro Ishii on August 4
    • 5 1/2 Star Match (2018) vs. Kota Ibushi on August 11
    • 5 Star Match (2018) with Kota Ibushi vs. Kazuchika Okada and Tomohiro Ishii on September 30
    • 5 Star Match (2018) with Kota Ibushi vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Will Ospreay on December 15
    • 5 3/4 Star Match (2019) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi on January 4
    • 6 Star Match (2020) with Adam Page vs. The Young Bucks on February 29
    • Best Wrestling Maneuver (2016, 2017, 2018) One-Winged Angel
    • Feud of the Year (2017) vs. Kazuchika Okada
    • Match of the Year (2017) vs. Kazuchika Okada on January 4
    • Match of the Year (2018) vs. Kazuchika Okada on June 9
    • Most Outstanding Wrestler of the Year (2018)
    • Japanese MVP of the Year (2018)
    • Wrestler of the Year (2018)
    • Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2020)

External links

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Roster

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Tag Teams & Stables

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Broadcasters

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Referees

Aubrey Edwards • Bryce Remsburg • Frank Gastineau • Mike Posey • Paul Turner • Rick Knox

Ring Announcers
Justin Roberts
Interviewers

Alex Marvez • Chris Van Vliet • Jenn Decker

Staff

Arn Anderson Trainer • Billy Gunn (Road Agent, Trainer) • B.J. Whitmer (Coach) • Dean Malenko (Coach) • Hikaru Shida (Trainer) • Jerry Lynn (Road Agent, Trainer) • Jim Ross (Road Agent, Booker, Backstage Helper) • QT Marshall (Trainer) • Tully Blanchard (Trainer)

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