{"id":137849,"date":"2025-07-11T04:42:36","date_gmt":"2025-07-11T08:42:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=137849"},"modified":"2025-07-11T20:51:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-12T00:51:11","slug":"match-point-kenny-omega-vs-kazuchika-okada-v-aew-all-in-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/07\/11\/match-point-kenny-omega-vs-kazuchika-okada-v-aew-all-in-texas\/","title":{"rendered":"Match Point: Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada V, AEW All In: Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"A
Photo Credit: AEW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Was it intentional?<\/p>\n

In many ways, that question adds one huge thematic layer to their story.<\/p>\n

A Confession About Gods <\/strong><\/h2>\n

I\u2019m not an NJPW aficionado, more an appreciative philistine. I\u2019ve only enjoyed NJPW sporadically. I do appreciate the strong style\u2019s mechanics. I\u2019ve seen the latter two matches between Omega and Okada and enjoyed their innovation and dedication.<\/p>\n

This match has a different meaning. It\u2019s not just because of the promotion. It\u2019s not because it\u2019s 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.<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s the possibility it will exceed expectations.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Again, I\u2019m not a New Japan guy, but I\u2019m 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.<\/p>\n

These are not young, invincible gods anymore.<\/p>\n

A Subversive, Wounded God \u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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\u2019t always do as we wish.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s AEW arc over six years has struggled to live up to his reputation.<\/p>\n

To uphold the expectations placed on his shoulders. A story some fans have not always wanted. Instead, they\u2019ve just wanted the greatest professional wrestler alive to be just that.<\/p>\n

Rather than being AEW\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019t want or need to see a god humanised.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s tweener turn, Omega, the character, wore a disguise. Performing to expectations<\/a>. Then, upon returning from injury in 2023, the year felt \u201cputrid\u201d 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

A Coasting, Catchphrase Compensating God <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Similarly, Kazuchika Okada\u2019s 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\u2019s Shinsuke Nakamura.<\/p>\n

Okada\u2019s had standout matches. \u201cSpeedball\u201d Mike Bailey, PAC, and Eddie Kingston. However, some demand perfection from the gods. World-class bangers with consistency. Expectations of AEW\u2019s best are always high.<\/a> It can undercut even the greatest of AEW\u2019s wrestlers, especially if some fans aren\u2019t given the version of the wrestler they want. See Kenny Omega and The Elite in 2023.<\/a><\/p>\n

Okada\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

When Okada won the Continental Championship, I wrote that this was the best decision.<\/a> 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\u2019t enough.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s a story of subverting expectations.<\/p>\n

Some don\u2019t want subversion. They want unadulterated, peak Rainmaker. To some, the booking implies compensating for weaknesses. Nevertheless, this ignores the question of wrestling psychology.<\/p>\n

Have those fans been worked on?<\/p>\n

Can Old Gods Still Go?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Both men\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

New Japan made them gods but broke them physically. NJPW\u2019s style has seen Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tetsuya Naito\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Has Okada\u2019s character, in purposefully denying us what we want done, so because, deep down, he isn\u2019t who he once was? That even the Rain Maker himself doesn\u2019t believe in himself. That protection and preservation are disguising doubt. Or is he worn out? That meta-level adds intrigue.<\/p>\n

As a story, looking at the complex nature of GOAThood, we\u2019ll soon see if either man or both have peaked. It\u2019s 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?<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll see if either man can overcome time, injury, and a mirror image of himself.<\/p>\n

More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/strong><\/p>\n

Header photo \u2013 AEW \u2013 Stay tun<\/em>ed to the\u00a0Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/a> 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.\u00a0 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<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4960,"featured_media":137875,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4677,14,2192],"tags":[8573,501,386],"class_list":["post-137849","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aew","category-njpw","category-wrestling","tag-aew-all-in","tag-kazuchika-okada","tag-kenny-omega"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137849","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4960"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=137849"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137849\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":137937,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137849\/revisions\/137937"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/137875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=137849"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=137849"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=137849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}