10 Big Predictions For NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11
1. Kenny Omega: IWGP Heavyweight Champion
Kenny Omega, the 2016 G1 Climax winner, will challenge for Kazuchika Okada’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship in Wrestle Kingdom 11’s main event, and the hype couldn’t be greater. Some fans are already pegging this as 2017’s Match of the Year, and while it’s obviously far too early to justify such claims, tempering expectations for Omega vs. Okada is incredibly difficult.
Omega has had an absolutely fantastic year. His year started with a loss to Kushida at Wrestle Kingdom 10, but the match helped him escape the Junior Heavyweight division once and for all. Omega and the rest of the Bullet Club beat AJ Styles down and expelled him from NJPW the very next evening, and The Cleaner has been on a tear ever since.
He was IWGP Intercontinental Champion earlier in the year, but his star really started soaring during the G1 Climax. Kenny’s performances on the tournament’s last two nights were nothing short of breathtaking, and against Tetsuya Naito and Hirooki Goto, Omega produced two genuine Match of the Year candidates. He stands on the precipice of mega-stardom, but he couldn’t ask for a tougher opponent.
Kazuchika Okada is New Japan’s biggest star, and a master of epic PPV main events. If you need someone to deliver in a big spot, he’s your guy. Many view him as the best wrestler on the planet, but even if you don’t, it’s hard not to admire Okada’s accomplishments. A four-time IWGP Champion, Okada is a flawless showman, and few wrestlers can match the level of passion he injects into his performances. He’s the company’s top dog, but he has one hell of a fight on his hands.
NJPW have something very special on their hands in Omega. A win here makes him a star on the same level as the likes of AJ Styles, and that’s too good an opportunity to pass up. Expect a five-star match, and The Cleaner’s long-awaited coronation.