NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12: Highlights, Analysis, and Grades

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IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match

Kazuchika Okada (w/ Gedo) (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito

Result: Kazuchika Okada defeated Tetsuya Naito via pinfall

Rating: 6 out of 5 stars

When pro wrestling is at its best, it’s better than almost anything in the world. There’s elements of sport and story, drama and athleticism. On the rare occasions where everything clicks, and one enhances the other, it’s indescribable.

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I looked at the clock when I heard the bell ring to start the match. Here in the northeastern United States, it was 7:25 a.m. – four hours and twenty five minutes after the show began. It was surprising because it felt like the show had just started. The overall match quality of the entire card was amazingly good, so the time flew by.

Then Okada and Naito continued the war they’ve been waging for years with a 40 minute classic that felt like it could have gone on twice as long. I don’t know how I didn’t wake up my wife screaming at the television during this one. Mind blowingly great.

Like a ton of other people, I really thought this was Naito’s moment. Okada is the longest reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion in history, so it seemed like the time was right. Naito is more popular than ever, and had a great angle heading into this one. LIJ is hotter than everything in pro wrestling except for Bullet Club. Put the top title in the promotion on the leader of that group and it’s basically a license to print money.

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But Okada is on a different level than any other wrestler in the world. Omega is great, AJ Styles is great – Okada is untouchable. Kevin Kelly and Don Callis mentioned a comparison to Tiger Woods – at one point, there were a ton of great golfers, but only one Tiger Woods. Well, there’s a ton of great wrestlers in NJPW, and in the world, but there’s only one Kazuchika Okada.

I don’t want to just sit back and write up every last great spot in the match – we’ll be here all day. Poison rana, Rainmaker kickouts, Destino kickouts, spinning Tombstones – all amazing. But more important than that was the crowd, who was hotter during a main event match nearly five hours into a show than they were at any point prior.

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The real testament as to how emotionally draining the match was? Listen to the crowd reaction after the bell. Initially the pop was huge – and almost instantly it went nearly silent in the building. Everyone pulling for Naito – myself included – was devastated. Okada’s fans, though, were just exhausted.

Next: Greatest Wrestlers in NJPW History

Truly fantastic main event to cap off a tremendous card. What did you think of Wrestle Kingdom 12?