'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
#1 Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship - Dominion 2017 6/11/2017 (New Japan Pro Wrestling)
Trending
The legend of Kenny Omega as an all-time great in wrestling added a lot to his time limit draw with Bryan Danielson last week. His legacy was molded in NJPW. Omega had very brief stints in the company along with Kota Ibushi as well as in the junior heavyweight division, but his full-time run began in 2014 when he joined the Bullet Club.
Kenny Omega became known as "The Cleaner" because he planned on cleaning up the junior heavyweight division. He defeated Ryusuke Taguchi to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 9. Omega went on to have two reigns overall, but he wasn't satisfied with success against the juniors at New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Meet John Cena's dad HERE
Following his loss of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 10, Kenny Omega turned on AJ Styles to take on the leadership of the Bullet Club. He went on to win the IWGP Intercontinental Championship soon after before losing the gold in the first ladder match in company history. This was just the tip of the iceberg for him.
Kenny Omega went on to become the first gaijin to win the G1 Climax tournament and earn an opportunity to main event in the Tokyo Dome at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11.
The Cleaner put on one of the greatest matches in the history of the wrestling business against IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada at the event. It was a bout that put NJPW on the map worldwide
This led to a rematch just six months later at Dominion 2017 between Omega and Okada. It would take a lot for these two men to achieve their greatness at the Wrestle Kingdom 11, but somehow they did just that. Their previous meeting went 47 minutes long, and they wanted to surpass that.
Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada reached a level of excellence that 60-minute wrestling matches hadn't previously obtained. The pacing here was outstanding where fans didn't even realize that the contest had reached the final five minutes until the ring announced called it. The selling from each man was tremendous, with Omega's collapse before Okada hit the Rainmaker being the standout moment.
As the battle went deeper, the two competitors created great drama that had the fans hanging on every wrestling move. Cody Rhodes added to this with his tease of throwing in the towel to save Omega. This led to a fantastic nearfall and a dramatic final sequence. Omega hit his big moves, but Okada hit the Rainmaker and crawled to the pin as time expired.
This was a beautiful professional wrestling match that remains as one of the greatest in NJPW history and in the entire business. They had wonderful callbacks to their Wrestle Kingdom 11 showdown and amazing storytelling that captivated everyone watching.
That's why Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega at Dominion 2017 is the greatest wrestling match to end in a draw.
