Match Point is an ongoing series at Last Word on Pro Wrestling, where we look at intriguing matchups. They may be dream matches, first-time matchups, or hotly anticipated rematches. In this edition, we focus on the Winner Takes All Match between Kazuchika Okada and Kenny Omega at AEW All In: Texas.
This historic fifth clash between Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada is set to happen at All In Texas. Will the wait be worth it? It took patience and time. Both men have played the long game. Their legacies deeply interlink and mirror each other. In AEW, both wrestlers, at times, subverted and underwhelmed against some fans’ near-impossible expectations.
Was it intentional?
In many ways, that question adds one huge thematic layer to their story.
A Confession About Gods
I’m not an NJPW aficionado, more an appreciative philistine. I’ve only enjoyed NJPW sporadically. I do appreciate the strong style’s mechanics. I’ve seen the latter two matches between Omega and Okada and enjoyed their innovation and dedication.
This match has a different meaning. It’s not just because of the promotion. It’s not because it’s on American rather than Japanese soil. Nor is it because of the record-breaking non-WWE gate, the title unification, or because AEW has hit a creative peak again.
It’s the story that has been constructed, blending real-life events, fan perceptions, and even tribalism as much as kayfabe. The pressure and high expectations for two of the greatest wrestlers of their generation to put on a match that betters their back catalogue, that might again redefine the standards of pro wrestling, is possible.
There are dark arts, tricks, and means to create majestic illusions of grandeur. When you have two grand masters, two of the sharpest diamond minds, working together to make history for a fifth time, there’s the possibility it will exceed expectations.
Even when circumstances might breed some doubts, this match already seems like a classic. In some respects, we, as fans, have been involved in the mythmaking and story.
Again, I’m not a New Japan guy, but I’m an AEW diehard. Under the All Elite banner, this legacy feud has ventured into familiar territory with new nuance. It explores a theme of time and decline. How athletes and performers referred to as the greatest of all time, a GOAT, begin to fade.
These are not young, invincible gods anymore.
A Subversive, Wounded God
When some figures are placed on a pedestal, unbelievers and critics immediately seek reasons to tear them down. On the other hand, believers, in defiance, look to defend their choices. They want to ensure their deification remains intact. Gods must fulfil the roles and expectations placed on them. However, some gods don’t always do as we wish.
In AEW, Kenny Omega is a subversive God. Boiling the urine of critics and worshippers alike, Omega has seemed reluctant to be the Best Bout Machine. The central narrative of Kenny Omega’s AEW arc over six years has struggled to live up to his reputation.
To uphold the expectations placed on his shoulders. A story some fans have not always wanted. Instead, they’ve just wanted the greatest professional wrestler alive to be just that.
Rather than being AEW’s centrepiece, Omega unselfishly put over Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley as flag-bearers. Omega competed on Dark and had a divisively longer match with Alan Angels, working beneath his level. The deeper story was Omega feeling vulnerable.
This ignored the real-sports storyline. It railed against the traditions of WWE in North America, implying the top guy must be superhuman. Some didn’t want or need to see a god humanised.
Even as the AEW World Champion, Omega was playing a caricature of what a heel champion of the past was. Like former partner Hangman Adam Page’s tweener turn, Omega, the character, wore a disguise. Performing to expectations. Then, upon returning from injury in 2023, the year felt “putrid” for the Elite because some did not want to see Omega pretend to be broken down, especially after his spectacular return at Wrestle Kingdom 2023.
Many wanted the version of Omega we have now in 2025. One whose real-life brush with diverticulitis and morality, like a storyline, fits the uber narrative.
A Coasting, Catchphrase Compensating God
Similarly, Kazuchika Okada’s early AEW run has made some fans question if the Rainmaker is washed or coasting. Stripped-back presentation and intensity, occasionally defending his Continental Championship, for some, it invited lazy comparison with WWE’s Shinsuke Nakamura.
Okada’s had standout matches. “Speedball” Mike Bailey, PAC, and Eddie Kingston. However, some demand perfection from the gods. World-class bangers with consistency. Expectations of AEW’s best are always high. It can undercut even the greatest of AEW’s wrestlers, especially if some fans aren’t given the version of the wrestler they want. See Kenny Omega and The Elite in 2023.
Okada’s focus on character overlooks a significant historical criticism. Someone in wrestling (bro) once commented that Japanese wrestlers could not get over in the US because they could not speak English. Okada just needed one swear word, flash suits, and funny facial expressions.
When Okada won the Continental Championship, I wrote that this was the best decision. Emphasizing character over in-ring work has allowed Okada to become an entertaining weekly character on episodic wrestling. On a roster full of GOATS, being the best wrestler isn’t enough.
Ironically, AEW outdid WWE. They took an acclaimed wrestler and simplified/commodified them into a catchphrase. That is enough to annoy some, just being like WWE. Like Omega, it’s a story of subverting expectations.
Some don’t want subversion. They want unadulterated, peak Rainmaker. To some, the booking implies compensating for weaknesses. Nevertheless, this ignores the question of wrestling psychology.
Have those fans been worked on?
Can Old Gods Still Go?
Both men’s arcs from NJPW to AEW strongly mirror each other and present one large uber narrative. Their historic friendship and on-screen association with The Young Bucks have seen each accused of prioritizing fun and collaboration over legacy and their best work. Each has been subversive but telling a bigger story that links to their time and wear in NJPW.
New Japan made them gods but broke them physically. NJPW’s style has seen Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tetsuya Naito’s knees decimated to dust in their forties. Omega is 41, and Okada is 37. Many modern wrestlers experience a second peak in their 40s. Omega has worn the scars of NJPW since day one.
Has Okada’s character, in purposefully denying us what we want done, so because, deep down, he isn’t who he once was? That even the Rain Maker himself doesn’t believe in himself. That protection and preservation are disguising doubt. Or is he worn out? That meta-level adds intrigue.
As a story, looking at the complex nature of GOAThood, we’ll soon see if either man or both have peaked. It’s as much a match about proving they are still who they once were as proving who is the best. Have some of us been fooled?
We’ll see if either man can overcome time, injury, and a mirror image of himself.
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
Header photo – AEW – Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on AEW All In Texas, Kenny Omega, Kazuchika Okada, 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 catch AEW Dynamite on Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TBS. AEW Collision airs Saturday at 8 pm Eastern on TNT. More AEW content available on their YouTube
