The Trials of Kazuchika Okada: International Superstar
“It’s time to evolve.” Kenny Omega
“Kenny, I will never lose to you, because I’ve endured way more than you can imagine.” Kazuchika Okada
Two years ago, at Wrestle Kingdom 9, Kazuchika Okada stumbled back up the ramp of the Tokyo Dome in tears while Hiroshi Tanahashi soaked in the adulation of a hot crowd. It wasn’t the first time Okada had lost to the Ace, but it was the most significant loss of his career to that point. In the latest iteration of old guard versus new guard, the golden boy tasted the bitterness of defeat right when everyone thought he was to be coronated the new Ace. I saw true sadness and disappointment on his face as he retreated to the back in defeat.
As I watched the unbelievable finish to Wrestle Kingdom 11 this past week, I kept thinking back to that scene. Though this went unmentioned in the build for the Okada-Omega match, I would argue that one of the more compelling narratives on offer was the solidification of Okada as the Ace of NJPW. It sounds strange to talk about the marquee star of the brand as anything less, but in a sense Okada has always been plagued by his WK demons. The threat that Tanahashi posed was calculable, and my reading of Okada’s failings in those big match encounters was that he was too brash to confront the reality that Tana’s star, though fading, was not yet so distant as to warrant underestimation. Okada’s Rainmaker persona resurrected his Japanese Wrestling career in 2012, but his overconfidence had cost him when it mattered most. Kenny Omega posed a very different threat to Okada. Here was a powerhouse that could fly like a cruiserweight, never get tired, and whose obvious sadism somehow granted him an inhuman reserve of energy and resolve. Kenny Omega wrestled the latter part of 2016 like a man utterly possessed by the belief that he was not only the best wrestler on the planet, but the true future of NJPW as they planned for international expansion in 2017. His performances in the G-1 climax in August against Tetsuya Naito and Hirooki Goto were universally acclaimed for good reason:
Omega’s style is tough to describe, but frenetic is somewhere to begin. As a worker, he strikes me as ‘tough but fair’. He will absolutely beat the shit out of you, but no more so than he will expect you to beat the shit out of him. In any case, there will be carnage in an Omega match, making it compelling and difficult to look away from.
Okada is a very different breed in just about every way possible, and since styles make match ups, most could see a mile away that the main event would at least be interesting. That it would be heralded by some as the greatest match in pro wrestling history didn’t seem to be in the discussion. After all, the best matches pretty much always result from the most heated feuds. Okada and Omega didn’t have a build that focused heavily on personal issues. If anything, the source of advertised drama was professional in nature, as it concerned the future of the promotion. The closest things ever came to personal was when Omega claimed Okada was a manufactured star by Gedo and the front office of NJPW, but even that felt strained to be honest. Okada is just about the worthiest champion in pro-wrestling today. He may have been chosen as a star, but there is simply no question he is one regardless. This year alone he has had outstanding matches with diverse opponents and consistently delivered committed, excellent performances (Some of my favourites include his dominion match against Naito, his G-1 matches with Marufuji and Ishii, as well as his follow up with Marufuji at King of Pro Wrestling).
The match lasted 46 minutes and honestly flew by. In retrospect, given the length it makes sense that they began with basic mat wrestling. Especially for unfamiliar opponents, it always helps me settle into things when I get the sense that there is a feeling out process early on. These wrestlers establish position but gain no early advantage on the mat, and so things grow a little more frantic as the match goes on (serious understatement). The risks taken grow more numerous and always seem to punctuate sequences. The pace soon quickens drastically:
The story being told by the english commentary team, is that as time goes on Omega’s intensity and viciousness appears insurmountable for Okada. Watching it for the first time, I actually thought this might mean he would win. He definitely appeared like some sort of indestructible monster. He would laugh one minute and seem to be on the verge of tears the next. There was something feral about the way Omega moved. Okada, by contrast, would try and use his moveset in the normal order, only to find that Omega punished him for it. One memorable example of this is when Okada pulls Omega in for a Rainmaker and is clocked in the face with a brutal knee. What I love so much about this match is that Okada is forced to find another gear to beat Omega. In the closing stretch, we see a ferocity in Okada that I had never seen before, and a resilience too. One amazing bit of storytelling toward the end sees a flurry of strikes by Omega to Okada’s face and neck to force Okada’s grip on his wrist to break. Only Okada won’t let go. He appears in a daze but hangs on for dear life to Omega’s wrist and delivers a devastating Rainmaker. The beauty of this is it could easily be argued that this was a last ditch effort on Okada’s part, that Omega nearly had him beat. A potential rematch down the line would be perfectly justifiable on the grounds that Okada never kicked out of Kenny’s finisher. These subtle details sprinkled into the match make this a classic just as much as the unbelievable sequences and athleticism.
When Okada lost at the dome two years ago, he went on a run where he lost a few matches to perennial midcarder Bad Luck Fale. The story was supposed to be that his failures in pivotal moments had psychologically affected his ability to win. He overcame those demons later that same year at the Dominion PPV when he beat AJ Styles for the championship and went on to defend it successfully at Wrestle Kingdom 10 (finally) against Tanahashi. Kenny Omega was wrong to think Kazuchika Okada had everything handed to him, and the grace note of their story for now is that this led to his underestimation of Okada’s resolve. Not just to be the Ace, but to stay atop the mountain.
