Kenny Omega has been named Pro Wrestling Illustrated's top wrestler of 2018.
The news was announced to Omega on The Ross Report.
The IWGP Heavyweight Champion ranked fifth on the list last year. His first year in the Top 500 was in 2008 when he ranked No. 422. After thanking those involved with the voting process, Omega said, "It's good to know that I'm making strides to make improvements every year."
PWI senior writer Dan Murphy noted that Omega's title victory over Kazuchika Okada at Dominion put him over the top. The eligibility period runs from July 1 of last year to June 30 of this year. Following the brief interview with Omega, Murphy revealed the rest of the top ten to Ross.
PWI 500 Top Ten
1. Kenny Omega
2. AJ Styles
3. Kazuchika Okada
4. Brock Lesnar
5. Seth Rollins
6. Braun Strowman
7. Roman Reigns
8. Cody
9. Tetsuya Naito
10. The Miz
Okada was ranked No. 1 last year. This marks the second straight year Styles has been at No. 2. Falling out of the Top Ten are Kevin Owens, Shinsuke Nakamura, Samoa Joe, and Bobby Roode. Lesnar, Cody, and Strowman experienced big jumps. Lesnar was 25th, Cody 33rd, and Strowman 34th last year.
