10 Iconic Wrestling Storylines Summed Up In A Single Frame

2. Kazuchika Okada's Fourth Reign Ends

Bret Owen
NJPW

Kazuchika Okada's fourth reign with the IWGP Heavyweight Title was legendary.

Spanning 720 days and a record 12 defences, it incorporated the greatest series of pro wrestling matches ever (versus Kenny Omega), some of the most heavily anticipated (Omega, Naito), the best thing the term "strong style" was ever applied to, and Okada doesn't even work that style (versus Katsuyori Shibata) and a record-breaking match against prior holder Hiroshi Tanahashi. Its blow-away genius and bittersweet heft were arrived at through history and mathematics. It was the seminal and precise crescendo of the best long-term storyline in wrestling history.

Okada was so goddamn genius in this period of his career that he pulled off golden flared trousers. He isn't getting them over in 2013, and he was fantastic then. Between 2016-18, his work - the slow-burn into the most incandescent of eruptions - merited the most histrionic of praise.

Genius. Transcendent. Unparalleled.

But everybody still waited for the payoff, often impatiently. If it wasn't Shibata, it had to be Naito. If it wasn't Naito, then definitely Omega.

Omega was the man to do it, after the most incredible professional wrestling match ever. The celebrations were euphoric babyface fare earned after Omega's own, immaculate arc.

But the closing shot of Dominion 2018 was pure pathos.

An errant Okada gimmick bill occupied the foreground as the hall emptied - an acute visual metaphor an old adage.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!