My oh my, was that ever a long night… but it was sure worth it! Ladies and gentlemen, Wrestle Kingdom 14 is, technically still upon us as we speak as we are now between halves of this pro wrestling extravaganza! Night 1 finished a few hours ago as I type this and frankly I’ve only just now begun to decompress from all that I’ve witnessed. As I said before any of this even started, it’s going to go down as a truly unforgettable weekend in professional wrestling’s storied history.
The final match of Night 1 was a true classic, an incredible whirlwind of a bout. Kazuchika Okada, the undisputed Ace of New Japan, the top dog in the company, put his title on the line against the rising, glass ceiling shattering Kota Ibushi.
Kazuchika Okada defeated Kota Ibushi To Retain IWGP Heavyweight Championship
Ibushi came frighteningly close a number of times. And I do believe he will get to the mountaintop one day. But at the end of the night, Okada retained his title and will now therefore face Tetsuya Naito in the grand main event on Night 2 in a battle for all the gold.
You can see an excerpt of my recap of this match below:
Kota takes Okada up top, pursues, hooks for the superplex. He’s going all the way to the top rope for this one… hooks both arms! Okada fights out with elbows, Kota is knocked to the mat. OKADA TRIES A MISSILE DROPKICK AND KOTA LEAPS UP INTO A SIT-OUT POWERBOMB COUNTER! BUT OKADA KICKS OUT AT 1?! Kota looks desperate now! He goes up top… Phoenix Splash, but Okada rolls out of the way! Lifts him up, Inverted Rainmaker! Pulls him up slowly as the crowd hits a new peak, Rainmaker nailed! KOTA KICKS OUT! Okada grabs the wrist… slowly, painstakingly taking him to his feet, clobbers him with a second Rainmaker! Shakes his head, keeps the wrist locked! Pulls him to his feet for a third, that’s gotta be it. Okada does his pose… still wants to do more?! Pulls Kota up slowly, tries for a fourth, KOTA DUCKS AND HITS A ROUNDHOUSE KICK! V-TRIGGER?!?! KAMIGOYE ATTEMPTED, OKADA COUNTERS WITH A KILLER TOMBSTONE, RAINMAKER FOR THE WIN!
Winner: Kazuchika Okada