What’s the story?
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has given the New Japan Pro Wrestling rematch between Kazuchika Okada (c) and Kenny Omega a rating of 6.25 stars. Okada and Omega had wrestled to a 60-minute time limit draw in their rematch at NJPW Dominion 6.11.
In case you didn’t know...
Kazuchika Okada and Kenny Omega are both NJPW Superstars who have been embroiled in a rivalry against each other since Wrestle Kingdom 11.
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Okada, who is the reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion, had defended his Championship against Omega at the event, which was held at the Tokyo Dome on 4th January 2017. Their match had lasted 46 minutes and was rated by Dave Meltzer as the “first ever” 6-star match.
Omega and Okada continued their rivalry at the NJPW Dominion 6.11 event which was held on 11th June in Osaka, Japan. With the IWGP Heavyweight Championship on the line, Okada and Omega fought in a 60-minute time limit match to a draw, as the time ran out with no winner being decided.
Okada retained his championship as a result of the draw.
The heart of the matter
Dave Meltzer has revealed his ratings for the NJPW Dominion 6.11 event and has rated the rematch between Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada a staggering 6.25 stars. This is the highest rating that Meltzer has given any professional wrestling match in his 34-year career.
The 6.25 rating means that in the opinion of Meltzer, the 60-minute time limit match between Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada is the greatest professional wrestling match of all time.
Also read: 5 questions from Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega II that we need answering
The next highest rated matches on the NJPW Dominion 6.11 event were Kushida vs. Hiromu Takahashi (c) for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, which was rated 4.75 stars and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito (c) which was rated at 4.5 stars.
What’s next?
Kazuchika Okada has praised his opponent Kenny Omega for his performance during their rematch. Okada stated that he had never thought that anyone could “take him to the limit” the way Omega had done and that a third match between the two “had to happen”.
Okada will now be defending his IWGP Heavyweight Championship against former WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes at the G1 Special, which will be held at Long Beach, California on 2nd July 2017.
Author’s take
Kazuchika Okada and Kenny Omega are indeed two of the greatest professional wrestlers to have ever been inside the squared circle. The men have proven time and again that they deserve every bit of adoration and adulation that they receive from the likes of Meltzer and their rematch was a definite testament to the same.
The 6.25 atars rating might be criticised for making the "ratings system" a "joke", but the ratings and the rating system belong to Meltzer and he's free to do as he pleases with them. The match was certainly better than their Wrestle Kingdom 11 encounter, so if a 6-star rating for that match was justified, then so is a 6.25 rating for this one.
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