Early last month in the Tokyo Dome at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 11, Kenny Omega participated in what some called the greatest match in wrestling history.

The 33-year-old native of Transcona, Manitoba put on a 46-minute spectacle with Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP heavyweight title in front of 26,192 fans. After enduring the bruising encounter that included a giant back-body drop over the top rope through a ringside table, Omega finally succumbed to a fourth Rainmaker, Okada’s patented lariat. Though Omega came up short in his quest for the title, influential wrestling and mixed-martial arts journalist Dave Meltzer gave the match six stars on his five-star scale, solidifying it as an instant classic.

Omega’s main-event spot at the Tokyo Dome show came as the result of winning the company’s annual G1 Climax Tournament in the summer. Omega became the first gaijin – or non-Japanese-born wrestler – to win the prestigious tourney. During the tournament, Omega competed in a pair of well-received matches against Tetsuya Naito and Hirooki Goto in the final. Those two matches, along with the Wrestle Kingdom main event, have solidified Omega’s reputation as one of the best big-match performers in pro wrestling.

For Omega, though, it’s impossible to pick a favourite out of the three.

“All of them felt special in their own way and represent very important moments in my career,” Omega told TSN.ca. “I could never rank one over another and value both G1 performances just as high as the Tokyo Dome match with Okada, even though the star ratings are different and fans, wrestlers and critics will have their preferences.”

Despite the rigours of a lengthy match and all the spots that come with it, Omega is always cognizant of how well a match is going, of what’s working and what isn’t.

“I'm always aware of my surroundings in matches and very rarely find myself concentrating on anything predetermined,” Omega said, “Especially for my big singles matches. I'm lucky to have gotten myself to a point where I can store that information deep into my brain so I never find myself second-guessing during a match or being lost in thought. This allows me to feel the atmosphere and emotion from the crowd to decide what to do and when and why.”

Outside the World Wrestling Entertainment spotlight, Omega has emerged over the past few years as the top gaijin in NJPW and, in the process, made himself one of the hottest properties in the industry. With rumours running rampant that Omega could make the jump back to North America and the WWE, he announced last month his intentions to remain in Japan for the immediate future. He’s expected to sign a new contract with the promotion in the coming days.

“It was difficult for me to announce a decision because I knew there would be some disappointment among some fans,” Omega said. “I'd have loved to come up with a situation that allowed everyone to be happy, but pro wrestling rarely allows for that. Ultimately, I'd prioritized my legacy in Japan over all else since I was a teenager, so I'm just following through on a 20-year dream to its completion.”

While it was the Ultimate Warrior who drew Omega in, it was the Japanese scene that captured the man born Tyson Smith as a fan.

“The increased athleticism and the heart shown from the competitors,” Omega said of what it was that captivated him. “Heart, especially, was a huge one for me. I couldn't explain how it was shown within the matches, but I could feel it as a viewer, that there was a reason beyond a title or a storyline for a competitor to win. The style from Japan at that time really thrived on physical clashes that came down to the human spirit and who wanted it more.”

 A junior hockey goalie as a kid, Omega began pursuing his pro wrestling dreams in 2001, training with the Winnipeg-area Top Rope Championship Wrestling promotion. Four years later, Omega would sign with WWE and report to its Deep South Wrestling developmental territory based in the Atlanta area. After a little over a year and disagreements with trainers, Omega requested and received his release.

“The feeling that my creativity had been stifled was huge,” Omega said of his time with the WWE system. “We had freedom within our promo classes and practices to show variety and uniqueness, but there was never an opportunity to show that to the people that made the decisions. I wanted to prove that ‘Kenny Omega’ was a marketable character and could make a company a lot of money.  That ultimately became the reason why I left. I wanted to show and prove to myself that I could be the star I had envisioned.”

After working with Ring of Honor, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and DDT – where he would first work in Japan in 2008 and meet close friend, Kota Ibushi – Omega began working in NJPW in 2010 before signing with the company full-time in 2014. Now nicknamed “The Cleaner” and clad in his trademark leather duster, Omega leads the Bullet Club stable, the company’s top heel faction.

Though now a villain, Omega believes it’s his passion for his craft that has connected with the Japanese audience.

“At first [in 2008], I think it was just because I'd been different - a breath of fresh air -  and the fans could sense that I really, really wanted to be wrestling full time in Japan,” Omega said of his rapport. “It also helped to be an athletic jack-of-all-trades-styled performer. It helped to keep match variation interesting because I had the toolbox to make performances unique from one another.  Nowadays, I'm a heel, but perhaps what attracts fans to the bad guy is that same heart I'd mentioned before. As a heel, I still get booed, of course, but I feel like fans are enjoying the journey of the match with me in it.  Our fans are great and respect all performers' dedication to their performances if it results in a good match.”

For Omega, there’s a difference between performing in front of a Japanese crowd versus a North American one, though he prefers to not to take a broad view.

“It's case by case, of course, but in general, the Japanese fan will tend to respect the sport element to what we do more,” Omega explained. “They're also a tad more reserved as people, so you won't get a rowdy beer-swilling affair on most nights. American fans love to party and aren't afraid to be very vocal about what they like and dislike in the moment. I don't have a preference over crowd or reaction-type - the important part is that both are having fun.”

It’s not just the Japanese fans who are taking notice of what’s happening in New Japan right now. An estimated one third of the subscriber base for New Japan World – the company’s video streaming service – comes from outside of the country. International interest in the product is at a high right now and Omega understands why.

“I think our current top stars all have a unique vision for what they feel pro wrestling should be,” Omega said. “So when you look at our title matches from WK 11, for example, almost every match played dramatically different from the next due to the change in styles. I feel like it's that uniqueness among our top talent that really makes for some fun viewing for all types of wrestling fan.”

To capitalize on the attention, owner Takaaki Kidani has scheduled the company’s first-ever American show in Huntington Beach, Calif., in July as part of the lead-up to the 2017 G1. While NJPW has run co-promoted shows in North America over the last several years with ROH, this is the company’s maiden voyage in going it alone. Being featured in a prominent position at the top of the card for international expansion only makes sense for Omega.

“I have the worldly experience, dedication to seeing our company grow, and the ability to perform at the highest level with our guys,” Omega said. “On top of that, I don't have a fear of failing and/or fear to be vocal in that position. We're in the business of entertainment as much as wrestling, so someone with the confidence to speak a lot in that role is also important. Being bilingual and able to talk makes me an asset, I feel.”

Though the days of the territories are long over in North America, an international turf war appears to be heating up. Along with NJPW’s inroads into North America, the WWE is looking outward, as well. Last month, it staged a tournament in the United Kingdom and snapped up more than a dozen wrestlers, forcing a number of them to drop out of scheduled independent dates. There is talk that an Asian tournament is next. Omega says NJPW remains undaunted.

“It's possible they may aggressively attack our market,” Omega said, “but the world is a big place and the chances of them securing more real estate elsewhere first are probably higher.”

Omega has been critical of the WWE’s hiring practices in the past, noting that the company is “hiring people just to hire them.” He feels that the roster is just so large right now that it’s impossible for certain people to not get lost in the shuffle.

“It's tough because when you have over 200 talented individuals to work with, how do you select the chosen few to use on your weekly programming?” Omega explained. “Of course, Wrestler A’s fan base knows just how good he or she is, but maybe only the scout that got the person their job knows their real potential. I've never stepped foot in the [WWE] Performance Centre [in Orlando], so it's tough for me to comment, but I'd imagine entering into such a diverse roster on and even playing field - with no notoriety to their higher-ups - would be a difficult environment to excel in.”

An overcrowded roster isn’t the only impediment to succeed for WWE talent in Omega’s mind.

“WWE suffers from a very systematic approach to their match booking/construction and shows, which makes a lot of what they do feel very soulless,” Omega said. “Nothing they do resonates on an emotional level so the majority of it just becomes popcorn television with nothing leaving a longstanding impact once the show is over. There are talents working hard to leave their mark, of course, but the vast majority is either incapable or handcuffed to such an extreme where they can't add any unique flair to their segment.”

Still, Omega won’t rule out returning to the WWE at some point in his career.

“I'm guided a lot by where I feel I can help change business the most,” Omega said. “Though I feel like there's potential for great matches in WWE, at the moment, I feel like there's more mileage in me having complete creative freedom and introducing first to the world just who Kenny Omega is.”

For now, Omega prepares for his NJPW return (Omega is scheduled to appear at ROH’s Honor Rising shows, co-promoted with New Japan, in Tokyo at the end of February). With the heel Suzuki-gun faction making a reappearance in NJPW after years in Pro Wrestling Noah (a working arrangement between the two companies fell apart with Noah’s sale at the end of 2016, meaning any NJPW-contracted talented returned to the parent company), the Bullet Club was left off the company’s first tours of the New Year.

While it made sense from a booking perspective to give Suzuki-gun the spotlight for now, the wildly popular Bullet Club isn’t going anywhere any time soon, so New Japan will need to find a way for both large stables to coexist. With the recent addition of “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes, the Bullet Club’s ranks have risen to 12.

Omega recognizes the danger in bloated numbers for the Bullet Club.

“It's always a fear to have too many members in a powerful stable because bodies will always get lost in the shuffle,” Omega said. “For that reason, the Young Bucks [Nick and Matt Jackson] and I created the ELITE - a three-person stable [within the Bullet Club] that are real friends outside of wrestling, have great chemistry in the ring, and are all top-class performers. No one ever questions us as a team because they see the friendship and camaraderie in our matches and/or content we create. Of course, for the sake of stories, you can't always roll with your friends, but some of the most influential groups in wrestling history were friends first and business partners secondly.”

With 2016 raising his profile and expectations for him, Omega has a good idea of what success in 2017 will look like.

“I would ideally hope to have reached more fans in the world with my stories and done my company proud - both in quality of performance and in business as a main eventer,” Omega said.

The New Year appears to be only the beginning for Kenny Omega.