The following article was originally published with RealSport on January 6, 2017.
Right now, it is the sixth day of 2017. That leaves 359 days in the year, and I can already say with absolute certainty that the Match of the Year has already taken place. I try to refrain from saying such things, because sometimes overwhelming praise like that can push someone away from checking something out. I know this from personal experience.
Too Much Hype
As an unrelated example, let’s look at the movie Frozen. Come on, stay with me. So, when Frozen came out it was lauded by several outlets as one of the greatest Disney movies ever. Meanwhile, “Let It Go” was played on a mind-numbing loop from seemingly every possible angle. By the time I got around to seeing Frozen, I had been completely turned off to it. I didn’t even want the movie to be good because of how tired I was of hearing about it.
Frozen was enjoyable, but I probably enjoyed it less because of how much hype there was. The story was solid, but nothing like it’d been talked about being. It was touted as Pixar and Disney’s greatest achievement. The praise was so overwhelming that it raised the bar for what many people expected out of it.
It’s for that exact reason that I’m a little hesitant to heap praise onto a single match, but I honestly feel it’s my journalistic duty to at least try and express everyone’s need to see this match. Some people already know which match I’m talking about, but for those who don’t or aren’t too knowledgeable about it, allow me to set the stage for you.
Who are these guys?
If you want some more in-depth information about Wrestle Kingdom 11, both the results and what makes it special, check out the two pieces from earlier this week. For now, I’ll be brief on details of the event itself. Wrestle Kingdom is, essentially, New Japan Pro Wrestling’s version of WrestleMania. The IWGP Heavyweight Championship is their most prestigious belt. The holder of that championship going into Wrestle Kingdom 11 was Kazuchika Okada.
Aside from a few appearances in partnership with Ring of Honor and a poorly executed stint in TNA, Okada has almost exclusively been a staple of New Japan. At only 29 years old, Okada is already a respected veteran of the squared circle. After his brief excursion to TNA, he returned to NJPW in late 2011. In February 2012, he captured the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for the first time. Five years later, he is a staple of NJPW and a 4-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion. Every other competitor to have held the belt four or more times is at least 40 years old today.
Then there’s Kenny Omega. To understand Omega, you have to understand the Bullet Club. The group was initially founded by Finn Balor (then known as Prince Devitt). Upon his departure from NJPW, the group was taken over by AJ Styles. After runs in PWG, DDT, and ROH, Omega found his home in NJPW back in 2010. He only competed for the promotion sparingly for the next four years, but in 2014 he signed an exclusive contract with NJPW that set in motion the events that brought us to today.
In reality, Kenny Omega has great adoration for Japanese culture. He speaks the language fluently, and understands the country and culture probably better than any other foreigner in NJPW. This all made his turn that much more shocking, as he joined Bullet Club in November of 2014. He became “The Cleaner” with the goal of cleaning up the junior heavyweight division. At Wrestle Kingdom 9, two years and two days ago, Omega captured the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship by defeating Ryusuke Taguchi.
Throughout 2015, Omega pushed his way up the ladder and made a significant mark on the junior heavyweight division. One year ago yesterday, at New Year’s Dash 2016, Omega turned on AJ Styles and banished him from Bullet Club. It was an inevitable move as AJ Styles was on his way out of the company and headed to WWE. Omega took his place at the top of Bullet Club and declared himself for the heavyweight division.
In February of 2016, he defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi to capture the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. A week later, Omega and The Young Bucks captured the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championships. In late 2016, Omega won the G1 Climax tournament to earn a shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 11. All of that has finally brought us to Wrestle Kingdom 11, where Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada were set to square off.
The Big Match Feel
One of the things that makes big events like Wrestle Kingdom or WrestleMania special is the sheer magnitude of it all. The spectacle that ramps up the excitement and the tension. That moment where you can truly feel how historic or how great a moment can be. Wrestle Kingdom 11 did this perfectly, and it meant that fans understood the match would be something special before the bell even rang.
During his entrance, Kenny Omega paid homage to The Terminator. Before he even came out, a video package played that showed Omega’s fluency in Japanese and English while also being a throwback to the movies. With a short shotgun in hand and a half-mask made to look like the metal face of The Terminator, Omega walked to the ring with a purpose. He knew what he was about to do, but none of us knew what we were about to witness.
When his music hit, Kazuchika Okada made his way to the ring in extravagant fashion as always. Okada, known as “The Rainmaker,” wore has trademark robe and the arena was filled with money adorned with Okada’s face. The stage was set. Kazuchika Okada, the hometown hero, was up against Kenny Omega, the villainous Canadian.
What followed was perhaps the greatest professional wrestling match I’ve ever seen. This is the part where I try to restrain myself, and ultimately fail. Dave Meltzer rated the match 6 out of 5 Stars. You read that right. His exact words following the spectacle were: “Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada may have put on the greatest match in pro wrestling history.”
For forty-six minutes and forty-five seconds, Omega and Okada laid their heart and soul out in front of us. They gave us everything they possibly had, and the product of that was pure magic. I haven’t seen enough of the pre-1990s classics like Flair vs. Steamboat to compare it to those, but I would easily place this match in the same category as greats like The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels and the WrestleMania 17 clash between “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and The Rock.
I won’t bother explaining the match itself and the outcome to you. That’s partially because some people have already seen it, but it’s also because I don’t want to give anyone reading this an excuse not to watch it. I’ve set the stage as best I can. Now it’s up to you. If you love professional wrestling and appreciate when it’s done well, you must watch this match. It’s mandatory. It’s a requirement. Stop making excuses and do it.
How Do I Watch It?
The best way to watch the match is through NJPW World. It’s basically New Japan’s version of the WWE Network. I adore NJPW, so I implore you to bite the bullet and spend a few bucks to subscribe to NJPW World. Not only will you get this spectacular contest, but you’ll have access to a treasure trove of NJPW content. If you don’t know where to start, Senor Lariato’s Recommended Viewing List can be a huge help.
Normally, I’m not in favor of providing free options, but I know that taking that jump is going to be too much for a lot of people. That being said, this match is too good to allow people to get out of watching. Here is a link to it on DailyMotion, and I’ll put a YouTube version below. If either stops working, trust me that it probably won’t be hard to find. The match is flooding the internet, and rightfully so. A robust google search should be all it takes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvJq0nJ4Vjc