10 Matches For The Ultimate NJPW Vs. AEW Supercard
1. Kenny Omega Vs. Kazuchika Okada
The best match in the history of professional wrestling revisited in perhaps the most fascinating context, Omega Vs. Okada V remains the preeminent dream match because it is a guaranteed masterpiece—but nothing is guaranteed under the joint AEW/NJPW banger.
Interestingly, both men suffered a significant crisis in confidence following their respective IWGP Heavyweight Championship losses. Okada toyed with balloons, dyed his hair red, and quite hilariously took to shouting nonsense before overcoming his loss—and Gedo’s betrayal—to reclaim his title and psyche alike.
Omega, in AEW, has lost two high-profile singles matches, the latter of which saw him over-emphasise the performance, and fail to take the fight seriously. It was an artful and brave approach, in that he intentionally performed as an inferior version of himself to sell his character arc.
Okada is the most powerful force in all of wrestling; Kenny is in danger of losing himself completely. This would inform even the most minor of moves with incredible drama, creating the expectation of both flash pin and back-and-forth epic; Okada’s simple backslide, used here against an Omega over-compensating for his lack of confidence, adds the threat of a shock finish—which is about the only minute wrinkle of awesome drama this seminal dynamic lacks.
The industry’s greatest ever match under the most unpredictable of circumstances: *******1/4, surely.