Making A Classic is a series dedicated to delving into some of the all-time classic professional wrestling matches. We will discuss the background, the match, the action, and hopefully be able to figure out what it is that makes a classic match. In this edition, we shift our focus to New Japan Pro Wrestling to discuss Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 11.
Setting The Table: The Rainmaker vs. The Cleaner
Kazuchika Okada had a legendary near-two-year span wherein he dominated professional wrestling itself. This started with his third reign as IWGP Heavyweight Champion, defeating “The Phenomenal One” AJ Styles at Dominion 7.5. “The Rainmaker” would not let up as he aimed higher, despite being the top champion in all of New Japan Pro Wrestling. In the coming months, Okada would hit the ground running, competing in the G1 Climax, going 7-3 and just narrowly missing the finals by one match where he lost against CHAOS stablemate Shinsuke Nakamura.
Okada would not be down for long; throughout the year, he would garner achievement after achievement. He defeated Genichiro Tenryu in the latter’s retirement match. The man himself picked Okada to have his final match with because he wanted the absolute best for his swan song. By the end of the year, Okada followed it up with his third MVP award from Tokyo Sports as well as garnering “Match Of The Year” honors for his bout against Tenryu. NJPW owner Takaaki Kidani saw the value and megastar drawing power of Okada that he locked him in a five-year 200 million yen contract. Kazuchika Okada seemed unstoppable as he took the crown once and for all from the legend himself and G1 Climax winner Hiroshi Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom 10. This match was the seismic shake-up that left Okada as the undisputed “Ace” of NJPW.
The “Ace” would suffer a minor hiccup when Tetsuya Naito defeated him for the IWGP Heavyweight Title. Okada wasn’t away from the gold for too long; he defeated the Naito for his historic fourth reign as IWGP Heavyweight Champion. At the time of writing, Okada is the longest-reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion, his combined days from each title reign totaling 1,790 days. The dawning of a new era was upon NJPW; not only was Kazuchika Okada the present, but he was the future of Japanese wrestling in general.
Changing the Culture
Kenny Omega would carve out his own path and was out to prove that he was the right man to elevate NJPW to unprecedented heights. He wanted to be overlooked no more. Omega was out to challenge the future and be its present. He would closely mirror the path of Okada; he garnered accolades such as the IWGP Intercontinental Championship as well as the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship with his brothers from The Elite, The Young Bucks. Omega had a bone to pick with the doubters as he would pour his heart and soul into winning the 2016 edition of the G1 Climax. In the process, he became the first-ever non-Japanese competitor to win the tournament, in his first attempt no less. This set up the showdown with “The Rainmaker” himself at NJPW’s show of shows: Wrestle Kingdom 11.
Omega and Okada were two combustible elements who were bound to cross paths at some point. These two competitors would go through hell and back to show everyone who “The Man” of New Japan Pro Wrestling really was. There was no place better to decide the fate of NJPW moving forward than an IWGP Heavyweight Title bout in the main event of the promotion’s biggest spectacle.
The Match: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Kenny Omega For The IWGP Heavyweight Championship (Wrestle Kingdom 11)
Kenny Omega was out first with vignettes on screen portraying him as “The Terminator,” a statement that didn’t go unnoticed by anyone as “The Cleaner” was out to terminate Okada on his way to becoming champion and the face of NJPW. He made his way into the ring donning a faceplate reminiscent of the T-800 killing machine. Omega was ready and he was ready to exterminate the “Ace.” Okada was out next; the champion beamed with pride as the Tokyo Dome went insane for the Japanese phenom. With the gold around Okada’s waist, confetti would rain down from the skies, signaling the arrival of the people’s champion.
The match itself was a test of each man’s intestinal fortitude. The two would systematically dismantle each other, picking a body part to focus on. Omega would focus on the neck and back of the champion. Meanwhile, Okada would grind at Omega’s arm to prevent him from executing his nuclear launch code last resort, the One-Winged Angel. The intensity would be high from the get-go. The two men battered each other like they were fighting for their lives. Highlights included Okada’s draping DDT to Omega onto the floor as well as his flying crossbody into Omega clearing the guardrail into the stands. The crowd was electric for the affair. Not to be outdone, Omega would pull out all the stops as well.
Fight Forever
Omega would perform a magnificent picturesque dive that still hangs as the poster of every wrestling fan. From there, he executed his patented snap dragon suplex more than once, even doing an avalanche version of the maneuver. Omega even executed a potent poisonrana, targeting the champion’s neck. The challenger was out to incapacitate the champion. Omega would try to hit the One-Winged Angel. However, Okada countered time and time again with The Rainmaker. To Omega’s credit, it took four Rainmakers to keep him down, not to mention a couple of tombstone piledrivers. Omega proved he was for real and wasn’t going down with a fight.
As the match reached its climax, Omega would hit multiple V-Triggers in the hopes he would finally slay the champion. However, Okada proved why he was the unchallenged face of the company. Omega’s insistence on hitting the One-Winged Angel would ultimately be his downfall. Okada would counter into a leaping tombstone piledriver to put the exclamation on this legendary match. He would hit The Rainmaker to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. As the referee’s hand hit the mat for three, the audience went ballistic as this classic ended at the highest point possible.
The Aftermath of Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega: Only the Beginning
The match made headlines as it was rated 6 stars out of a possible 5. Dave Meltzer himself broke his own scale to cement the match’s legacy in the annals of professional wrestling lore. This match was only the start for the pair. They would carve out classic after classic, competing against one another for three more matches. Omega would finally reach the mountain top and win his first and only IWGP Heavyweight Championship, besting Okada in a no time limit 2 out of 3 falls match. The match clocked in at 65 minutes at Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-jo Hall. Omega ended “The Rainmaker’s” 720-day reign as champion. At the following year’s Wrestle Kingdom 13, Tanahashi would pry the title away from Omega.
The Wrestle Kingdom 11 match was outstanding and it got the world buzzing. Kazuchika Okada and Kenny Omega’s series started out with a spectacular match that was followed by multiple instant classics. This anthology was reminiscent of feuds such as Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker, in addition to The Rock and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. It will go down as one of the best rivalries in history that started at the pinnacle of Japanese wrestling.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can watch Sakura Genesis 2021 and plenty more tremendous wrestling content from New Japan Pro Wrestling on NJPWWorld.com; The King of Sports Streaming.
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