#145: Kazuchika Okada vs. Kaito Kiyomiya, Pro Wrestling NOAH Keiji Mutoh Grand Final Last Love (2/21/2023).
This is IWGP World Heavyweight Champion vs. GHC Heavyweight Champion, and it's the only singles meeting between the two.
Dating back to 2020, Kiyomiya had been calling out Okada. And ever since then, Okada never gave him the time of day. If you aren't on his level, Okada will give you the coldest of shoulders. This went on for years, until one month before this, during the New Japan/NOAH crossover day for Wrestle Kingdom 17. That night, during an interpromotional tag team match, Kiyomiya kicked Okada right in the face. This sparked Okada to snap, and the two men beat the shit out of each other in one of the wildest angles Puroresu had done in years.
In the lead up to this, Okada played a lot of mind games. He attacked Kiyomiya following a title defense in NOAH, and promptly accepted his challenge for a match on this event. Then, days later, Okada no showed the press conference, instead opting to focus on his own title defense against Hiroshi Tanahashi. The fact that Okada focused on the aging Tanahashi over the vibrant Kiyomiya sent the NOAH star in a fit of rage.
Something had to give on this special evening.
Okada with a huge look of disdain on his face in the staredown. Kaito looks like he has a huge point to prove tonight. The crowd – the largest in Japan in three years – is hyped for this to begin.
The bell sounds, and we are under way. These two are staring daggers into the other. They lock up, and Okada forces Kaito against the ropes. He aggressively pushes his head over the ropes, and we get somewhat of a break. Another lock up ends with Okada forearming Kaito, who responds with several of his own. Okada tosses him to the floor, but Kaito is back in with another flurry. Okada sends him back out, and Kaito is back in! Okada grabs him and hits a nasty looking German Suplex.
Okada violently kicks Kaito to the floor, and then drills him to the mat with a power slam. He brings Kaito to the front row and drops him with a DDT to the exposed floor. Okada returns to the ring, and he seems content with a count out! Kaito makes it back in just in time, and Okada meets him with another DDT that gets a nearfall. Okada with some light kicks to the face, just like in Yokohama, and Kaito responds with an uppercut. Okada wants more, and Kaito obliges. He starts to hammer away on his spine, but Okada catches him with a back body drop.
Okada with another powerslam, and now he scales the top rope. The diving elbow drop connects, and he follows up with the Rainmaker pose. Kaito is back to his feet on his own, and he’s in Okada’s face. Okada with a big forearm, and Kaito wants more! They pepper each other with forearms, and Kaito finally drops him to the mat. More forearms from Kaito, and he kicks Okada to the floor. Kaito with a stiff uppercut, followed by an irish whip into the steel barricade.
Kaito whips him into the opposite barricade, and then rushes him, only for Okada to body drop him over it to the floor. Okada grabs him and drags him on top of the barricade, but Kaito counters with a suplex to the exposed area. Kaito runs the ringside area and connects with a diving senton over the barricade onto Okada! Kaito drags Okada into the ring, because a count out isn’t enough for him! Kaito goes to the top rope, and connects with a missile dropkick.
Kaito with a bridging German Suplex for a 2 count. After hammering on his back, Kaito rushes the ropes, only for Okada to catch him in a flapjack. Okada follows with a big boot, and Kaito uppercuts him. Okada with a shotgun dropkick, and Kaito with a jumping knee. Kaito runs the ropes again, and Okada catches him with a beautiful dropkick. Okada hits the spinning Tombstone, and then the Discus Rainmaker.
Okada goes for the Rainmaker, but Kaito blocks it with a jumping knee and a low dropkick to the shoulder. He does it two more times. He dropkicks Okada next, and heads to the top rope. He comes off with a nice missile dropkick right to the shoulder. Kaito connects with Shining Wizard, and Okada is hurt! Kaito gears up for it one more time, and he connects! Kaito covers, but Okada kicks out! Kaito rushes Okada out of the corner, but runs into a dropkick.
Okada takes wrist control, and laughs hysterically. Short arm Rainmaker connects, and Okada drags Kaito to his feet. Kaito blocks the next, but can’t block another dropkick. Okada is about to hit the Rainmaker, but Kaito hits the Shining Wizard! Tiger Suplex next, and Okada still kicks out! Kaito is pissed! Kaito goes for the Shining Wizard again, but Okada catches him with the Landslide! Rainmaker connects! Okada covers, and then lifts Kaito’s head off the mat! The look on Okada’s face is amazing.
He brings Kaito back to his feet, and hits the Inoki enziguri, followed the Emerald Flowsion, and another Rainmaker. Okada pins Kaito by simply placing his hand on his chest, and that gets him the win. Okada grabs the IWGP World Title and heads straight to the backstage area. Kaito lays lifeless in the ring. What in the fuck did I just see?
What an incredible match. It's not too long, and it fits just enough in to satisfy the tastes of any wrestling fan. What works about this match is the simple fact that we, the audience, don't know how much of this animosity is real or staged. Japanese wrestling is very good at giving off the illusion to the fans. Here, it really seems that these two hate each other's guts. Is that for show, or are these guys throwing stiff shots because they feel like it?
Kiyomiya gets in enough offense to seem credible, but he's never once a threat. Okada is on a different level, and the ending sequence - the Inoki kick, the Emerald Flowsion, the second Rainmaker, and the very lazy cover that gets the pin - is proof of that. The Ace destroyed the cocky upstart, and walked away like nothing matter. When Okada joined AEW and turned heel, this is where my mind went to. I knew immediately that Okada as a heel would work, because in this match, he played a prick like it was natural to him.
Kiyomiya, thankfully, has recovered from this, and is NOAH's undisputed Ace in 2024.