4 Ups & 5 Downs From NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 16 (Night 1)
1. Shingo Takagi vs. Kazuchika Okada
Kazuchika Okada and Shingo Takagi were presented excellently in their ring entrances, setting the stage for the first thing on the card that felt like a true Wrestle Kingdom match, as the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship saga's first chapter played out under a typical format.
This was laid out in the same way as most modern New Japan main events. Shingo and Okada spent the first act jostling for position, working for incremental openings and fleeting moments of offense, struggling to break parity. Slow, methodical, and sometimes lacking in direction, it broke when the duo started stiffening each other up on the outside, going through multiple phases increasing in drama en route to the finish.
It was a tale of two moves. The humble DDT played a significant role for both men. First employed by Okada on the outside, it was used by Takagi to soften the challenger's neck up later on, before Okada used it to drill Takagi from the top rope towards the end. Elsewhere, the Rainmaker was pivotal. Careful not to spam it early due to Takagi's prior scouting, Okada was blasted by his own move as the match came to life, lighting a spark in him. Enraged, Okada fired up, vengefully dragging his opponent to the ramp following an incredible in-ring exchange, only to be hoisted from his own petard when Takagi drilled him with a Death Valley Driver out there.
A Pumping Bomber to the eye socket threatened to rob Okada of his vision late on. This happened as part of a bombastic closing stretch with thrilling kickouts at 2.9, such is Okada's trademark, before a late flurry of Rainmakers finally scored the challenger the victory.
This great match was unfortunately followed by Will Ospreay cutting his usual bad promo. Coming out in a Versace robe, the Englishman performed a fake ring announcement declaring Okada the new "interim" IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. Complete with fake laughter, crap jokes about Okada's gear, and his assertion that NJPW will be safe in his hands once he outdoes an "exhausted" Okada on night two, this toe-curling promo closed night one on a sour note. Ospreay presumably scurried back to his Conor McGregor shrine in the locker room afterwards.