NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 Night 2: Results, Grades, and Analysis

Kazuchika Okada (CHAOS) (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito (LIJ) (c) – IWGP Heavyweight & IWGP Intercontinental Double Championship Match

The crowd became unglued as soon as the bell rang, and this felt incredibly special. It felt even bigger than their first Tokyo Dome main event where Okada won a few years ago. It seems like Gedo was right to wait to further establish Okada’s dominance, and make Naito’s quest for the title even more intense.

Naito kept teasing a lock up but not going for it, and he just smirked at Okada, trying to get under his skin. They gave us a very intense lock up as soon as the match started, showing us all how a good lock up matters. Okada and Naito ended up in the ropes, and Okada made a clean break, but unlike usual, where he would slap the chest, he threw Naito to the other ropes.

Okada hit a flying forearm, played to the crowd, picked Naito up, hit an uppercut and then a DDT on Naito. Okada slammed Naito and then hit the slingshot senton onto Naito. Naito hit an armdrag and an elbow before hitting a basement dropkick on Okada. Naito threw Okada to the corner and hit his triangle dropkick and posed to a roar from the crowd.

Naito pulled Okada to the apron and hit a neckbreaker to the floor just like he did to Jay White the night before. Naito hit an inverted DDT into a backbreaker and locked on a full nelson with his legs, further working the neck of Okada. Naito let go of the move and hit several elbows in the corner before locking on a cravat and hitting a few more elbows.

As Naito charged Okada, Okada got the foot up and hit a flapjack when both stood on their feet again. Naito blocked a big boot, and then there was a series of move attempts that ended with Okada hitting Naito with a neckbreaker over his knee. Okada slammed Naito and nailed a flying elbow. Okada did the Rainmaker pose but Naito hit a series of elbows to break the move when Okada pulled him up.

Naito’s assault continued for several elbows, but Okada ducked under one and hit the ropes. Naito responded with a spinebuster that drove Okada down to the mat. Naito hit a Frankensteiner off the top rope on Okada. Okada was able to hit a huge shotgun dropkick that drove Naito back towards the corner of the ring.

Okada charged at Naito, and Naito got his foot up twice, jumped to the middle rope, but ate a dropkick from Okada that sent him to the floor. Okada slammed Naito’s knee on the floor, leaving Naito writhing in pain. Okada cleared one of the ringside tables and tried to slam Naito onto it, but Naito blocked it.

The blocking didn’t last long, as Okada lifted Naito and slammed him knee first into the table! Naito crashed to the floor, screaming in pain. Naito barely made it back into the ring by the count of 19, and as soon as he stood up, Okada nailed him with a missile dropkick that got a 2 count. Okada hit a German suplex and went for the Rainmaker, but Naito ducked under and hit a Tornado DDT on Okada.

Naito managed to hit Gloria, and Okada had to drag himself to the corner to even try to stand. Naito put Okada on the ropes and hit a poison rana off the top rope! Okada kicked out! Okada landed right on his head! Naito went for Destino but Okada fought out. Okada ate an enziguri instead. Naito hit the ropes and went for a flying forearm, but Okada ducked.

Okada went for a Rainmaker, but Naito ducked and hit the ropes and hit a forearm. Okada fought out of a Destino, but Natio hit a koppo kick. Naito went for another flying forearm, but Okada cut him off with a perfect dropkick. Naito responded by hitting Destino for a 2 count! Naito picked Okada up and went for it again, but Okada countered into a Rainmaker!

Naito ducked again but ate a dropkick from Okada that saw both men crash to the mat. The crowd got even louder, chanting Naito’s name. I’ve never heard anything like this before. Both men exchanged forearms from their knees. Okada smiled as Naito hit him, and Naito did the same. The crowd was living or dying with every strike here, and you could hear them go insane for every blow.

As they got back to their feet, Okada hit one, and Naito spit on him before hitting another. Okada gave himself a second and then they exchanged several forearms that ended with Naito hitting a staggering slap to Okada. Naito went for Destino, but Okada fought out and hit the Rainmaker! Okada picked up Naito, but Naito went for Destino again! Okada countered into a tombstone and hit the Rainmaker! Naito kicked out! The crowd, if it was even possible, got even louder here.

Okada went for another tombstone, but Naito fought out and crashed to the mat, exhausted. Okada stood over him, getting ready to make the kill. Naito pushed him away and spit on Okada again before falling to the mat. Okada slammed Naito’s knee into the mat in response. Okada did it again and the crowd began to boo Okada. Okada played to the crowd, and they booed him more, so he drove Naito’s knee into the mat one more time.

Okada picked Naito up and hit the Rainmaker again. Maintaining wrist control, Okada hit a fourth Rainmaker. He went for one more, but Naito ducked and hit Destino! He hurt his knee on the move though and was late making the cover, so Okada kicked out!

Naito went to the top rope and hit the Stardust Press! He has only gone for this move twice since he became the leader of Los Ingobernables de Japon, and he missed both times. The last time, it cost him the match against Okada at the Tokyo Dome. Naito hit it, but Okada kicked out! Naito picked up Okada and went for Destino again, but Okada fought out and went for a tombstone! Naito countered and hit Valentia and Destino for the 1-2-3! Naito has done it! He has won both titles!

Result: Tetsuya Naito

Rating: ******1/2 (6.5 stars)

After years of failure and being replaced in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom, Naito was finally able to win the main event of Wrestle Kingdom! It was destiny. After crawling his way back to the main event only to lose to Okada 2 years ago, he has finally defeated Okada. After seeing the Intercontinental championship supersede his match against Okada in 2014, and losing again in 2017, he has finally done it in 2019.

Not only has Naito won the Tokyo Dome main event, achieving full redemption for his past losses, but he made history, defeating Kazuchika Okada to hold both the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental championship. Naito has finally claimed what was his, and proved two things: The Intercontinental Championship is just as much a main event title as the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

Naito called for the microphone and said, “Winning the main event of the Tokyo Dome feels pretty good. Perhaps we could do this one more time in the future?” Okada then raised his fist like the members of Los Ingobernables de Japon. That was incredible. The crowd roared their approval of Okada’s gesture, and Okada smiled and walked away.

Naito was presented with both titles, and he posed for the crowd with massive cheers. Naito thanked everyone and all the people watching around the world on the internet. He said that they have finally seen Tetsuya Naito flip the script and asked them how it was. The crowd roared again. Naito said he was going to take both belts, and he was going to be Tranquilo.

There was one thing he wanted to say, and it was that he would never, ever forget this weekend, and with both of those titles he will step into the future. He said he was going to end it in style, and he said that for the first time in Tokyo Dome history, he listed the members of Los Ingorbernables de Japon and the crowd roared their approval.

As he was finishing, KENTA ran in and attacked Naito, hitting a dropkick and PK. KENTA picked up Naito and hit him with the Go to Sleep, and KENTA picked up both titles and sat on Naito’s chest, posing with both titles. The crowd started chanting for KENTA to go home, and as BUSHI ran out to help Naito, KENTA ran away. KENTA said, “I don’t respect you!” in English to a bunch of foreign fans too.

The amount of heat KENTA got for doing this was absolutely insane. BUSHI helped Naito out, and the crowd cheered him, but KENTA ruined the celebration, leaving Naito limping out of the Tokyo Dome again. This was an absolutely fantastic angle, as Naito and KENTA are two men that had something to prove. Naito proved it tonight, finally showing he can main event and win at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom, and KENTA still wants to prove it, as KENTA’s run in WWE was a failure, both due to booking and injuries.

KENTA is now the biggest heel in NJPW, even more so than before, and Naito is even more the biggest babyface in NJPW. That was a beautiful moment with Naito winning, and an incredible angle to close the show. Naito made history, and KENTA did a very rare angle at the end of the Tokyo Dome.

Show Rating: ****** (6 stars)

This was an incredible two nights from NJPW, with the first night have the top 3 matches better than this night, but the story and emotions carrying night 2 to another level. NJPW gave the fans what they wanted and waited for the right time. Many said it was too late and that NJPW should have given the title to Naito 2 years ago, but Gedo was patient and had a plan.

NJPW instead provided us with something better: Tetsuya Naito walking out with both titles, making history, and erasing the failures of the past. NJPW has provided us with a lot to think about heading into tomorrow’s NJPW New Year Dash, where we will see several angles setting up the next year in NJPW. While we normally don’t see angles at Wrestle Kingdom itself, NJPW provided us with 3 big ones: The first being Naito and Okada advancing to night 2, the second being Minoru Suzuki attacking Jon Moxley and confirming that he is staying with NJPW, and the third was KENTA attacking Naito after he finally won both titles.

How NJPW advances these angles, and more, will be seen at NJPW New Year Dash tomorrow, and I can’t wait to see what NJPW has for us going forward. This was an excellent start to NJPW’s year, and both Tokyo Dome shows will be on the lists for show of the year. NJPW is in another league when compared to everyone else in wrestling right now, providing long term storytelling with everything paying off like no other. NJPW has done such a wonderful job building Naito, Okada, White, Ibushi, and now KENTA. I am sure NJPW will have many more surprises in store for as the year goes on.