NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12: Every Match Ranked From Worst To Best
3. IWGP Heavyweight Title: Kazuchika Okada (c) Vs. Tetsuya Naito
Result: Okada kills Naito with his billionth Rainmaker to retain the title (36:28).
Rating: The night's main event had a slow start but quickly picked up, and considering the epic length of the match, it was totally understandable.
This wasn't quite the best performance either man is capable of, but they still put on a riveting slugfest that was exhausting even just to watch.
There's already been a lot of backlash about Okada's win, which some have deemed comparable to WWE's typical, contemptuous "f*** you" booking, but in pure performance and entertainment terms, it was an undeniably great match.
The final stretch in particular was gut-wrenching, even anxiety-inducing, to behold, and it was staggering that the crowd were still so fiery after sitting through five hours of wrestling.
The finisher spam arguably got a little much in the end, especially with some of the less-convincing selling later on, but the brutal impact of those final moments is hard to argue with. 8.5/10