It’s been a busy week for pro wrestling. On Sunday, WWE delivered an unexpectedly strong Payback show, with title changes and ambulances galore. As if unwilling to be outdone, however, New Japan Pro Wrestling on Wednesday gave us Wrestling Dontaku. We got a match of the year candidate and a world championship bout to chew on. Oh, and at the end of the show IWGP Heavyweight champ Okada challenged Kenny Omega to a rematch.
“Where do I know those two names from?” you might be asking. Well, from the match of the decade obviously. In January, at New Japan’s eleventh annual Wrestle Kingdom, Omega and Okada put on a main event that earnt an unheard of six star rating from the Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer.
The match ended with Okada picking up the win after a spectacular 45 minutes. Since that time, Okada has defended his title in three grueling championship matches. Omega, conversely, has spent a lot of time away from Japan: first negotiating his new contract, then on a UK tour with the Young Bucks.
After Okada’s title defense at Wrestling Dontaku, against Bullet Club member Bad Luck Fale, the champ took the unconventional approach of challenging a contender for his own championship. A quick in-ring stare down followed, Okada confidently raising the belt above his head. I can’t help but feel the champ might have bitten off more than he can chew this time though.
Okada then announced the rematch would take place at New Japan’s Dominion pay-per-view, at Osaka-Jo Hall on June 11. Dominion is widely considered to be New Japan’s second biggest annual show, after Wrestle Kingdom. This year, though, the show will come less than a month before New Japan’s first ever solo American shows in Los Angeles, California. Could New Japan have decided Omega is their door into the American wrestling market?
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