NJPW Dominion 6.9: Star Ratings For All 9 Matches
1. Kazuchika Okada Vs. Kenny Omega (IWGP Heavyweight Title)
This match, which came dangerously close to breaking the 70-minute mark, was marketed as an instant classic before a single forearm or knee had been thrown. When it concluded, phrases like "greatest of all time" immediately hit social media. A hysterical reaction? Perhaps, but for those who've followed Kenny Omega's story for any length of time, the praise is hard to argue with.
Okada/Omega IV was stunning. Its expert pacing generated unfathomable drama, and from the moment Kenny defiantly cut the IWGP Champion off during his 'Rainmaker' pose, it was impossible not to buy into his struggle. The first fall, with Okada rolling Omega into a ball off a countered Rainmaker, was heartbreaking, and it only got better from there.
The action was riveting, and paced more like a Hollywood blockbuster than a traditional wrestling match. Call-backs, fighting spirit, skull-crushing V-Triggers, knife-edge near-falls, an unreal apron spot with huge hidden meaning: it had everything, but the overarching narrative transcends all of this.
Kenny and Kota, Omega and Okada, the Bullet Club civil war: the bout delivered game-changing developments in all three. Omega's victory was a paradigm shift. He became IWGP Champion surrounded by friends old and new, having just delivered the performance of a lifetime against the greatest wrestler in the world. It's so story rich, we can't hope to do it justice within a limited word count, but the catharsis of Kenny's triumph speaks for itself.
Star Rating: *****