Kenny Omega recently topped the PWI 500 for 2021, but admits that a number of other stars could have replaced him in the number one spot.
The PWI 500 is a rundown of the top 500 wrestlers over the course of a year and has been an integral part of the wrestling business since the first edition of it in 1991.
During the last 12 months Kenny Omega held the AEW, IMPACT and AAA Mega Championships simultaneously, defeating the likes of Jon Moxley, Andrade El Idolo and Christian Cage.
However, appearing on the Pro Wrestling Illustrated podcast with PWI Editor-in-Chief Kevin McElvaney, Omega said that he felt that it was a close race at the top. Omega suggested that he wasn’t a runaway leader at the top of the list, adding that either Will Ospraey, Shingo Takagi or Roman Reigns could have been number one.
“I’ve really stepped outside of my own comfort zone, and not only that, but everyone else stepped up their game too. It’s fantastic that I don’t feel like, no matter how I look at it, I didn’t run away with it. I don’t think I was number one by far. I think the best part about this year, especially, is you could have went in multiple directions and no one would be disappointed. I feel that, up until his unfortunate injury, number one could have been Will Ospreay. Number one could have easily been Shingo Takagi. Number one could have easily been Roman Reigns,”
Omega first topped the list back in 2018 coming off the back of stunning bout against Kazuchika Okada where he captured the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
Back in AEW, Omega appears set on a collision course with Bryan Danielson.
The former WWE Champion initially confronted Omega during a chaotic debut at AEW All Out on September 5th. On the following episode of Dynamite, the pair went nose-to-nose once more, but this time Danielson got a little bit too close for comfort.
After Omega and the rest of The Elite toasted the return of Adam Cole to the group, Danielson came out to meet Omega. The American Dragon said that the AEW World Champion was scared to face him, adding that he wasn’t on his level.
This brought about a brawl which saw Danielson force Omega to tap out to the Labelle Lock. As The Elite jumped Danielson, Christian Cage, Frankie Kazarian, and Jurassic Express came out to run them off. With Brandon Cutler left high and dry in the ring, Danielson laid him out with a running knee.
H/t to Sportskeeda for the transcription.