5 questions from Kenny Omega vs Kazuchika Okada II we need answering
If you’re a fan of professional wrestling, you would no doubt be aware that Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada recently put on one of the most entertaining matches of wrestling's modern era. While WWE is still very much the juggernaut when it comes to sports entertainment, New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) is gaining in popularity every day.
With a couple of high-profile US shows scheduled for early next month, and the recent announcement that NJPW will be holding a tournament of their very own United States Championship very soon, it looks as though the US market has been set firmly within the sights of the Japenese giant.
If fans are exposed to more feuds and matches like the ones we have seen between Omega and Okada, who knows what the future will hold.
Here are five questions from Okada Vs. Omega we would most like answering right now:
#1 Was it better than their first?
Back in January, we saw the 11th edition of Wrestle Kingdom, one of New Japan’s most important shows of the year. Okada and Omega met in the main event, and it’s safe to say, the match was received very well indeed. Wrestling Observer’s own Dave Meltzer gave the match six out of five stars, his own little way of saying that the bout was incomparable to anything we’ve seen from any wrestling company in the past few years.
When the rematch was announced, fans were understandably interested, but as we all know, sometimes follows ups, whether they are wrestling rematches, second albums or sequels to films, can often end up disappointing a very excited audience.
Wrestling rematches are tricky; on the one hand, the action has to be noticeably better than the first for fans to feel like it was worth seeing again. If the match merely rivals the original in terms of the in-ring action, for example, the whole thing can come across as a bit regretful. On the other hand, rematches have the added advantage of having more context surrounding them.
Think back to Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker at Wrestlemania 26. The two legends had put on an instant classic one year prior to that bout, so the WWE had to make sure their Mania 26 match made sense in terms of the overall story. Michaels ended up putting his career on the line because, in his eyes, the only thing left for him to do in his career was to end the Undertaker’s undefeated streak. because in his eyes, the only thing left for him to do in his career was to end The Undertaker’s undefeated streak.
The only option for New Japan, therefore, was to place Omega in a similar position. In comparison to their first meeting in January, Okada worked this match much more as a babyface. The idea of getting behind someone who is striving to achieve something he was so close to achieving at the last time of asking is a much easier narrative for fans to follow. The main event of Dominion was not merely the result of two in-ring masters thrown together, it was the next step in a complex and emotionally charged story.
In terms of in-ring action alone, a very strong case could be made for the Dominion bout to be everything as good as their first at Wrestle Kingdom. From bell to bell, however, the WK match might have just pipped its rival to the post. It was a better-worked wrestling match overall, even though it was lacking some of the energy and emotion of the second instalment.
Wrestling is subjective, after all, so it’s maybe not possible to answer this question directly. But it will no doubt prove to be a debate that continues for some time.