Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega

[10.0] "Best match ever. Rewatched again today and it was better than I remembered. About 50 minutes long which I can understand is too long for some but for me with the action also continuously picking up, the amount of time only established it more as an epic. Omega's selling of desperation in this match is fantastic, and Okada's stoic presence as the final boss type of character really ties it all together. Prime Omega could do anything, just watching him throughout the match he puts his all into every little action, its incredible. And the bump through the table was ridiculous, one of my fav sports ever. 10/10, 7 stars,"

[9.0] "This match is a masterclass in spectacle and pacing, but it's also a lesson in extremes. Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada deliver nearly 50 minutes of back-and-forth mayhem that blends high-risk manoeuvres, technical counters, and storytelling through cumulative punishment. From barrier-hung DDTs to top-rope dropkicks, Dragon Superplexes, and flurries of signature finishers, the bout hits almost every visual peak modern wrestling has to offer. The crowd's engagement never wavers, and both men sell exhaustion and desperation beautifully, making every near-fall feel critical. Omega's body-of-work bumping at the hands of Okada tells a story of a fighter pushed to his absolute limit, while Okada's stoic resilience reinforces his status as champion. Where it falters for me is in length. Forty-six minutes is a marathon, and while it works for the spectacle and the story, it stretches the emotional and physical stakes past what I find ideal. Modern wrestling thrives on a balance of explosive moments and tightly edited storytelling, and while the match delivers the former flawlessly, it occasionally risks numbing the impact of the sequences. That said, nearly every move lands with aesthetic brilliance, and the narrative of Omega trying, and failing, to topple the Rainmaker makes the bout a compelling, high-stakes experience. In short: a visually stunning, story-driven epic that might test the endurance of some viewers, but still cements both men as elite. ****1/2"

[10.0] "My favourite Omega Okada, in this match there is the best kickout in this sport. The fall from Omega to the table is unbelievable"

[8.0] "It's a good match, but to say it's the greatest ever is eh. Of course, there is nothing wrong if you wish to say that it's the greatest match ever, because A. It's your opinion and B. It's still a good match. But for me, I view this as just too long. You might be wondering, what is the perfect match length. I'd say somewhere between 20-35 minutes for modern wrestling. This is just how I view things (and I understand my view point is a bit eccentric.) but I think, especially now with how modern wrestling is big on the big moves, head drops, etc. You're telling me that they can wrestle for 40+ minutes. A bit wild to me. Still, the moves hit were gorgeous, and I like the story to it."

[6.0] "So I have reviewed this match 2.0 dozen times and this time, THIS TIME is my last time. It has gone from a 6, to a 9, to a 10, and now backdown to a six because this time around, I decided, you know what? I am not gonna put this down on in the background, I am going to sit down and give my analysis of this match, I am going to analyze it in terms of storytelling, in ring action, pacing and the overall athleticism involved but the main focus was storytelling and to sum up my finding it's these. The storytelling in this match is very inconsistent. I get they were doing the David vs Goliath story but it feels like they threw it out midway through and Omega was working on Okada's arm early on, but then stopped like midway through and it never came up again? Then Omega was kind of attacking Okada's leg but they do nothing like that. So at some point, the storytelling just went out the window. Second, the in ring action. While incredibly physical, it's nothing impressive. That's all. Except for THAT nearfall. So this section is short because of it. It's not really action, like a lot of it is selling and then something big happens, and then more selling.. Third, pacing. Pacing is almost non existent. It's slow, super slow, and only reallly picks up near the end and for the love of God. Pacing is what hooks your audience and it is fundementally how you control the emotions of the people. If you fuck it up, it's inexcusible. And finally, athleticism. Lot's of rest holds. Not much. Overall. Six."

"Absolutely life changing. It's genuinely absurd how this isn't even Okada and Omega's best match together, but watching this match still is a spiritual experience. It changed the course of wrestling forever."

[10.0] "The greatest match of all time. Incredible from finish to end. The absolute prime of both guys career and it reached an incredible climax in this match. Amazing, just amazing."

"Excelente pero nose si mejor que su lucha en Dominio 6:9, genial todo. Me creo totalmente la emocion de los comentaristas."

[10.0] "Missed 10 years of wrestling after quitting in 2015. This was the match that got me back into it and got me hooked."

[10.0] "this match is naturally building up to an insane climax that you are clamoring for at the halfway point. I could not type more, i was invested start to finish and loved everything."

[10.0] "What the actual fuck did I just watch, my gosh golly gee I can't even wrap my brain around what the hell type of match was Wrestled, but how do you do this 4 times over again, I'm sorry my goat top 5 list just got shook up because this rn to me is the greatest match ever Wrestled. Cagematch we need an 11 out of 10 Rating."

[10.0] "What is there to be said about this match that hasn't already been said? This is, in my opinion, the greatest match of all time. This is the match that got me into pro wrestling. If you haven't seen it yet, wtf are you doing? Go watch it right now!"

[10.0] "Absolutely everything was well done, what a fucking professional wrestling match between these two. Peak Omega was something else."

[10.0] "There have been many greates matches in the history of pro wrestling. This may be the only match that one could call life-changing."

[10.0] "As a mainly WWE guy since I was a kid, I've been waiting to see this match for a very long time. And as someone who hasn't really dabbled in other companies outside of WWE, the question on my mind was always, "What more could they have done? " And I got my answer in spades because what I saw was unlike anything I've ever seen compared to the wrestling matches I've experienced before."

"Just brilliant, Kenny's selling and bumping was off the charts. Two of the best ever at their prime in the best venue on the most important night. It was always going to be good. Some of the most consistently excellent and tight wrestling you'll see. The conditioning to keep this level of execution up for 47 minutes, with countless high spots and essentially no rest is insane. It is one of the best matches ever, not my personal pick though. The snap dragon off the top rope was disgustingly sick and the strikes were so stiff. There was no need for Kenny to take every simple back bump onto his neck but i rate it for the love of the game. *****1/4"

[10.0] "What can be said about this match that hasn't already been said? Bar none best match of all time with not another match even coming close. Undoubtedly the greatest 5 match run of any two wrestlers ever and an absolute war to start it off. I don't believe that there will ever be a wrestling match greater than this because this is perfection in its purest form. A must watch for any wrestling fan no matter if you watch NJPW or not."

[10.0] "HOLY FUCK. This is the 1st time I've watched this match and I was fucking BLOWN away. This is amazing in any space and time. The fucking martians would come down and pray down to this masterclass of professional wrestling. Entertaining on all levels! What a way to close the fucking show! [*****1/2]"

[9.0] "Man, this was a very good match. Knowing that this was only Omega and Okay's first singles outing together, just shows you how great they are together. I liked this match, but sometimes I got bored a bit, but then it spammed out moments that caught my eye and brought me back into the match. The last few minutes of this match were incredible"

[10.0] "This match introduced me to Wrestling outside of North American Professional Wrestling and made me fall in love with this sports when I was losing my interest. This is one of the best Wrestling matches ever and it truly revolutionized this industry on whole different level positively"

[10.0] "One of those matches that gets you in love both with the match itself as well as pro wrestling like it's the first time, so many iconic moments, the dropkick to the back of the head the triangle moonsault to the commentary area, the backdrop to the table on the outside, the super dragon suplex the rainmaker v-trigger one of the Magnus opus of the modern New Japan style (9.8)"

[10.0] "I saw it a few days ago to get into the all-in mood... simply perfect. They are both impeccable wrestlers, the chemistry between them is absurd, everything. Technically, they had the best match in history."

[10.0] "I mean, it's Omega and Okada, what more needs to be said? It helped birth a revolution in wrestling. It was a genesis to help build a company. It elevated Kenny to being the greatest wrestler of our generation. It did the same for Okada. It brought mainstream eyes to NJPW. It is the quickest 50 minutes of your life, and the most insane display of athleticism and talent you will ever see in a wrestling ring. It is one of, if not the greatest professional wrestling match of all-time. *****+"

"Absolutely incredible match. For me its hard to get invested in matches if theyre not live or i already know the result, but this one was something special. The ending sequence was incredible. Looking forward to the next matches from these two"

[10.0] "[5*] Legendary. That's the only word big enough to contain this first collision between two gods disguised as professional wrestlers. This was the start of a shift--the start of something legendary--and they did it three more times. Even if you think their later matches surpassed this, it's impossible to deny how fresh, how seismic this first meeting was. This was the match that saved my love for pro wrestling, and I know I'm not alone in that. I didn't even know who these men were in 2017. I was just dipping my toe into Japanese wrestling and decided to watch this Wrestle Kingdom. Boy, what an introduction. From the second Omega walked out flanked by the Young Bucks, you could feel it. This wasn't just about a title. It was about who would carry the company forward--even though, ironically, they both ended up doing exactly that for the next few years. Their chemistry is the definition of perfection. Every motion--so precise and calculated. Every reversal--so fluid you'd swear they were reading each other's minds. It's wrestling soulmate shit, the kind you only get once or twice in a generation. Some might complain about the slow start, but I love that feeling-out process. It's their first singles match--of course they're cautious. Of course they're testing each other's limits. You need that to make the escalation mean something. And when it escalated? Holy shit, it never came back down. From the opening minutes--Okada's spike DDT on the mats, the crossbody over the guardrail, the slingshot senton--you knew this was going to be a journey. Omega rolls through a backdrop, hits a second-rope sunset flip, backslide pin, two arm drags into a shoulder lock--gorgeous technical work, all before the first act even ends. This was a match that had everything: brawling, technical mastery, high-flying insanity, slow-burn storytelling, unrelenting fighting spirit and it somehow never felt bloated. Even at 46 minutes, it moved organically, never getting lost in the excess. This isn't just "move spam." This is escalation at the highest level. There are matches you love for big spots. This had them--but it wasn't about them. That's what makes it different. Kenny's springboard moonsault over the barricade was flawless. The table spots were brutal--Okada's backdrop looked nasty, but Omega's insane high-angle back body drop onto the table? He nearly died on impact. The story of Omega trying to hit the One Winged Angel over and over, only for Okada to reverse it every single time. Even when Kenny finally hit a V-Trigger and tried to lift Okada--he couldn't. The exhaustion was real. You could see it in both their faces: We've gone too far, and there's no going back. And that dragon suplex off the top rope? It's terrifying no matter how many times you rewatch it. The last 15 minutes are as good as wrestling gets. Okada lands the Rainmaker--and you think it's over. But Kenny kicks out. Okada hits another. Kenny kicks out again. Okada refuses to let go of Kenny's wrist--he's determined to end this--but Omega keeps scrambling, throwing knees and desperation strikes. Then, finally: A spinning tombstone. One last Rainmaker. Three seconds later, it was over. Even now, years later, it gets better with every rewatch. This match has been immortalized, and it will live up to its legend until the end of time. It's the kind of performance that defines eras--and makes lifelong fans out of people who didn't even know what NJPW was the day before. Kenny Omega died and resurrected multiple times over the course of this match. Okada proved he wasn't just the ace--he was the goddamn mountain you had to climb. The crowd knew it. The commentary knew it. Even the most cynical fans knew it. And the personal feeling I had after it ended? Grateful. Truly grateful. To watch something this transcendent, this pure--something that felt like the pinnacle of what pro wrestling could be. This was the match that changed careers. The match that changed a promotion. The match that opened doors for an entire style to be seen by the world. A masterpiece. A phenomenon. The match. If you've never seen it, you owe it to yourself. If you have, watch it again. Because this isn't just one of the greatest matches of all time. It is excellence, distilled into 46 minutes of pro wrestling perfection. Legendary."

[9.0] "Trying to catch up on all the Kazuchika Okada vs Kenny Omega matches before their bout at Y'all In, and this felt like a classic before the match even started. The potential changing of the guard storyline going in was really fun to watch as is the iconic Terminator-inspired entrance by Omega. The two table bumps during the match where absolutely phenomenal, I gasped out loud seeing Omega double stomp a table into Okada's stomach then fly over the top rope and land on a different table. I still think there are some issues, two moves near the beginning looked a little off, and the match absolutely drags quite a bit in the middle. Fortunately the last 15 minutes of the match make up for it. This finish was a near-perfect back and forth of trading finishers and near falls. Just delightful, Young Bucks cheering on Kenny the whole time also was really fun and made even better when they are visibly shocked at some of the incredible moments during the match."

[10.0] "Simply the greatest match I've ever seen. There are 3 more of these fuckers to go! I am staggered. Two pure artists at their creative and athletic peak. I can't see this being topped."

[10.0] "A true masterpiece, a perfect match. I had never watched their one-on-one encounters before, I'm going in chronological order. A nearly 47-minute bout that keeps you glued to the screen from start to finish, with a chemistry between the two wrestlers that already feels like one of the greatest in history. Flawless execution, suspense like I've rarely experienced in my 14 years of watching wrestling. The ending is simply monumental. I've rarely felt something this powerful while watching wrestling, the last 10 minutes left me speechless. I was planning to move on to their second match today, but I'll wait at least until tomorrow to fully process what I just witnessed. A must-watch for any newcomers to wrestling, or even for longtime fans like me who might have missed out on this absolute classic."

[10.0] "Blew away every expectation I had for it and more, can't believe they somehow did this again but better two separate times"

[10.0] "Gee whizz. After six years watching AEW I finally got myself to subscribe to NJPW World and watch this little thing. If the encyclopedia of wrestling, or The Old Wrestlahment, would have a definition of "so you think you're a good wrestler? then repeat what these guys did" it would be this. What I'm most flabbergasted about is they made it look easy. I wish I had seen this back in 2017, it would have saved my love for wrestling. Instead, shortly after this match I stopped watching wrestling entirely... for 2 1/2 years. But I digress. 4 1/2 stars for the insane overall wrestling ability, and a half star for the emotional connection they established with me. A rivalry could not start any better."

[10.0] "Planning on watching all of their encounters before their match at All In. This match is amazing I don't know how else to put it. The last 5-10 of back and forth was incredible and it brought everything you'd want in a wrestling match. This match had big fight feel and it exceeded expectations in every way. One of the best matches I've seen personally and can't wait to see their next match."

[10.0] "The match that really got me back into pro-wrestling. The story of who would carry the company going forward, even though they both ended up doing that for a couple years. Didn't know either of these guys going in, but I was a lifelong fan of both by the end of it."

"Listen, is this match phenomenal? Absolutely. A lot of people consider this the holy grail of professional wrestling, and I agree it's definitely in the top 10-20, but Dave Meltzer giving this 7 stars is absolutely redundant. No match deserves over 5 stars, and I'll die on that hill. 9.3/10"

[9.0] "I was so afraid that this match wasn't gonna live up to the hype but it somehow did. Just an amazing match with an electrifying ending sequence. The desperation of Kenny doing everything in his power to win, repeatedly trying for the one winged angel which Okada keeps countering. The exhaustion and desperation in both their faces as their opponent keeps getting up. Just amazing storytelling."

[10.0] "This is the greatest match in the history of wrestling. It has it all. It has brawling, technical, hardcore, flying, slow pace, fast pace, and most importantly fighting spirt wrestling. I could probably write an essay about how amazing this match was. I thought multiple times that Kenny was going to win even though I already knew Okada wins. That's how good the match is. The reversals are legendary. The table spots are innovative. The flying outside the ring onto the guard rail multiple times is bloodly awesome. I don't what else to say than watch this match. It's literally the best match of all time. If you don't believe me watch it. Overall a 7 out of 5 star match."

[10.0] "THE TOP STANDARD pro wrestling match and my FAVOURITE MATCH OF ALL TIME. MOTY 2017 as well as THE MATCH OF THE DECADE. This was an absolutely Banger of a match filled with crazy spots and intense drama. It was thrilling, exhilarating and the finishing stretch was just breathtakingly spectacular. The punishment that both wrestler took over the course of the match was all too real. And damn the ending made everyone just jump out of their seats. I did not think that Okada would wrestle in such an all time classic again so quickly after his Dome match with Tanahashi but he keeps on surprising us. The crowd's reactions , the commentators reactions and the reactions of every person in the stadium just made it more special than any match that I have watched. You could see that some of the fans were even crying. One of the Greatest wrestling match ever. Two of the best if not the best Wrestlers in the world wrestling in the best match of their life at the moment. *****"

[10.0] "Always heard about this match, finally just watched it. My god, I mean what can I say that hasn't already been said. This is the perfect wrestling match, from the in ring, to the crowd, to the commentary. Just perfect. This performance from Kenny Omega is the best I've seen from anyone ever. The way he was bumping made every move Okada did look like the most dangerous thing ever. And of course Okada is impeccable here as well. They both took 2 of the most insane bumps I've ever seen, with the back body drop to the outside through the table, and the dragon suplex off the top. Genuinely can't believe it's taken me this long to see this. I totally understand why this broke Meltzer's brain lol"

[10.0] "Okada and Omega work together SOOOO WELL. The juxtaposition between the very old-school Okada and the fast-paced Omega is so poetic. From the presentation to the in-ring performance and the storytelling, everything is perfect. This match is so good that even though I know how it would end, I'm still excited and engaged the whole time. It is kind of frustrating how good this match is. I always had this hot take about Okada that I didn't see how you could call him THE greatest ever. This match changes that. It showcases almost everything that he's great at, and putting him against Omega makes it x1000 times better. Words can't do this match justice, just watch it."

[10.0] "Every strike echoes like a cannon blast in the midst of a battle between two armies. Kenny Omega's bursts of speed are breathtaking, especially near the end -- after over 40 minutes of relentless combat. What Kazuchika Okada endures throughout the match is terrifying, particularly the dragon suplex from the top rope. Epic spots, fluid storytelling, and well-chosen pauses punctuate the pace and keep the match alive from start to finish. The springboard moonsault into the crowd, the back body drop through the table -- everything lands with intensity and meaning. A masterpiece I will rewatch for the rest of my life."

[10.0] "This is truly EVERYTHING it is sold as. One of the greatest matches ever produced. Brutal, well paced and performed wonderfully. The banger of bangers."

[10.0] "Is it AS good as nearly every comment on this page suggests? I'm not sure. It did avoid doing the things I was worried it WOULD do, like a million false finishes and tons of nonsensical no-selling. One false finish from each wrestler for a match of this magnitude is perfectly acceptable in my book, and I did feel like there was solid psychology with Omega working on different sections of Okada's anatomy throughout the bout. However, while this match had some amazing sequences and some truly "holy shit" spots, I still think it was missing a truly unforgettable moment that would have cemented it as an all timer. Nevertheless, I'm still granting this match a 10 here since there aren't any fractional ratings, but it gets a 4.75 star rating from me. I would definitely re-watch it in the future but I'm not sure my opinion will change."

[10.0] "This match was a real game changer for me when I watched it back in 2017. At the time I was just dipping my toe into Japanese wrestling and decided to watch this Wrestle Kingdom. Boy, what an introduction. Watched it again this week and it holds up. Some might not, but I love the slow start to this match - it's their first singles match together, so they're feeling each other out. The build up from start to finish is incredible. The inability of Omega to hit the One Winged Angel, the knees to Okada when he wouldn't let go of his grip... it's all such a great set up for what's to come. I still need to re-watch the rest in the series because I recall preferring the others to this one, but what a match."

[10.0] "Going back to this match, it's still unbelievable. It goes big and never stops escalating. When WK11 first aired, this match was the impetus for falling in love with wrestling again after I had aged out as a kid from liking fake play-fighting. I wouldn't be watching wrestling today if it weren't for this match and rewatching after all these years affirmed to me that it's still so good."

[10.0] "I'm not even sure what there is to say about this match. It is simply one of, if not the greatest matches to ever take place. Beautifully structured, so many memorable moments, and two absolute star-making performances. Crazy to think Omega started 2016 as a junior and within a year is main eventing Wrestle Kingdom and establishing himself as the top western star in the business. These two may not have had the longest rivalry in history, but purely in terms of match quality, I don't think there is a rivalry in wrestling history that can reach the incredibly high bar these two set with their four matches. 5 stars."

[9.0] "Rewatched the whole thing after a few years. A few things to note. Very early on, Okada does a Spike DDT on the matted floor that looked violent as fuck, followed by a neat crossbody on the outside jumping over the guardrails, and finally, back on the ring, a slingshot senton. Pins him and it's a one count... As this is a very long match, they try to keep you engaged from the beginning, but that seems a bit too much if he isn't going to sell the damage. Omega, although he lost, ended up looking the strongest of the two, as he ate quite the punishment in kayfabe (4 rainmakers to end him), and out of kayfabe too. That cardboard box table almost injured Omega. A regular table would have been better for that spot to kill the momentun of the fall and it would have looked better as well. Okada does take some risky bumps too, with that amazing dragon suplex from the top rope being the absolute highlight of the match. Character wise there isn't much to say, Kenny is the Terminator for some reason. Making his entrance with the Bucks by his side and wasting time outside the ring, one would think he'd play the mischievous gaijin heel, but it didn't look so as the match developed. By his own merit, he stood his ground and fought cleanly. Maybe because by that time, it felt like he represented New Japan, too, having wrestled there for quite a while. The hype for this match opened a door for a lot of people in the wrestling community to a different market and style of wrestling, and influenced many on how they would start working their matches. Companies, even."

[10.0] "Really been thinking on how I'm gonna write this shit for basically three days. I saw that on Saturday and there I am on Wednesday, hoping that the words will come and I'll be able to rate this because everything related to this bout made me speechless. Hopefully, I was not the only one, as you can see in the ratings below, all barely pass the three lines and there's not because people are lazy or something, it's because it's hard to talk about a match so great like this one. When you think at a Tokyo Dome Main Event, you'll not think in a shitty Umino vs ZSJ or Sanada vs Naito with all the respect for those wrestlers, for whom I know that they tried their best, but you'll think at THIS. This is a Tokyo Dome main event. I spend three fucking days thinking "What should I write here? " "What can be unique and something that no one ever said before? " and I did not think about that to be special, but to be personal, I don't want to write something that you surely will see another three thousand people saying the same think, and that's a personal goal of me for every match in this site, can be a one, can be a seven, I think that and I try to execute that. One of the most special things about this match is that if you going to look for the incredible and amazing spots, there's not much to be fair. We had a insane moonsault executed by Kenny Omega that was pure definition of flawless. I saw him talking about this moment that he personally told the story of this match completelly for the Young Bucks and he was afraid of doing that move not only to be dangerous but also for the pressure and uncommon in his moveset, and his friends said "Don't worry, you're Kenny Omega". And the other amazing spot that comes to mind right now is the backdrop Kenny took--that he went to high in the sky that I personally thought that he died in that landing into the table. This is not a match about crazy spots, this is not a Will Ospreay's match (sorry Billy GOAT), this is a match about storytelling. You can see how much those moves that Okada did like the dropkicks, rainmakers and DDT hurt on Kenny, he sold like that was his own death. And you can see how much that moves that Kenny did focusing Okada's neck surely hurt, because he also sold like it was his own death. There was some moments here that I thought that both wrestlers would not be able to leave this place alive, both wrestlers are so GOATED that they're able to tell a story like this only using the ring and also perform a great match. I never on my life thought that a One Winged Angel can be reversed into a RAINMAKER, BUT THAT CRAZY DUDES THINKED THAT. Talking about finishers, Kenny cried in the almost ending after noticing that he wasn't able to execute the OWA one single time on Okada, but Okada already have executed the Rainmaker three times, doing one last one to end this match and retain his title. The personal felling that I had after the end was grateful. I was truly grateful for watching a match so fucking good like this one, and even the commentary desk and the crowd thought that. Trust me, if the crowd in NJPW that is pretty common to see bangers happenning over and over make a standing ovation with unstoppable claps for you, you not only did a good job, you did the best job of your entire life. Fuck the tribalism, that is the type of match that everyone in the wrestling need to watch and admire, just like SCSA did once. This was so fucking hard to a dyslexic guy like me write, and trust me, this was NOT one of the greatest matches of all time, this was THE greatest match of all time. I don't even need to say that this is a FUCKING five stars match for me, right?"

"Greatest Match Ever! Definitely prefer it to the second and third match. But it's hard to decide between this one and the 2 out of 3 falls."

[10.0] "It really is one of the greatest matches ever. The moment when the old wrestling world died and we entered anew."

[10.0] "The greatest match there has ever been, level with their 4th. Genuinely cannot decide which I prefer."

[10.0] "I am obviously not the first one to call this match the greatest match ever had but I think there's a lot still to be learned from this match. First of all, the importance of timing and proper blocking. The truth is that pro wrestling has become far too obsessed with big moves at the expense of proper technique. Have any of these wrestlers who claim to love Misawa ever watched a Misawa match. Yes, Misawa loved the big move but a ton of time is spent on blocking. I think it's extremely important that we highlight how this is what Omega and Okada do so well. They intermix the two at such a high level."