Okada vs. Omega: Rivalry of a Lifetime
Hi Boomers, are you all looking forward to TakeOver Chicago II tonight? Although this weekend is one of WWE action today I want to talk about NJPW, more specifically the rivalry between Kazuchika Okada and Kenny Omega.
When Kenny Omega defeated Hirooki Goto to win the finals of the G1 Climax tournament in 2016, he booked his place against Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom XI the following year. Omega had only just made the transition from the Junior Heavyweight Division to the Heavyweight Division and was out to prove himself to the rest of the roster; add to this that Omega was the leader of the Bullet Club, a rival faction to Okada's Chaos, you knew you were in for a spectacle, and a spectacle it was. At the Kingdom Okada and Omega went for 46 minutes in a hard-hitting, action packed match that not only shocked the world but also rattled the ratings scale, becoming the first 6 star match of the century. As unlucky as Omega was to lose that match he did make a name for himself and would be rewarded for it.
Omega had proved himself so much that he gained another shot at the title, this time at Dominion 2017, again loosing to Okada but putting on an hour long classic that became the highest rated match of all time with a 6.25 rating. Whilst Omega was downhearted having put all he had into his two matches against the Rainmaker, Okada was creating his own legacy as one of the best champion's the company had ever produced. In the summer of that year, in the G1 Climax tournament, Omega would finally defeat Okada removing him from the tournament and advancing to face Tetsuya Naito in the final. Although Omega had defeated Okada for the first time, the Cleaner lost to Naito.
The rivalry now stood at 2-1 to Okada but was not over just yet. Omega would get one more shot at Okada in a match that would go down at Dominion 2018, possibly being the most hyped match in New Japan history. After almost and hour of 2 out of 3 falls action the leader of the Bullet Club finally, finally, got the big one and achieved what many assumed to be the impossible, he defeated Okada and captured the NJPW Heavyweight Championship for the first time. Once again the two foes cracked the scale this time scoring a massive 7 stars for their Dominion outing.
Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega truly is a rivalry that will never again be replicated in their respective lifetimes or anyone else for that matter. Is this the greatest rivalry in NJPW history? Please comment, like, and follow for more!
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