#150: Kenny Omega vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13 (1/4/2019).
This is for Kenny's IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
The battle of ideologies. Kenny's modern take vs. Tanahashi's old school take. Oh, and AEW was announced three days before this. Can you say a change is in the air?
The bell sounds, and the Tokyo Dome crowd is right behind Tanahashi. They tease wrist control on the other, but neither man makes that first move. Tana slaps Omega out of nowhere. They lock up, and he forces Tana to the ropes. He gives Tana a light slap, and Tana slaps him hard. Omega explodes with strikes, and gives him a proper slap. Omega with a huge kick to the chest. He rushes Tana in the corner, and looks for the One Winged Angel, but Tana counters it into the abdominal stretch.
Omega flips him out of that, and Tana catches him in a quick roll up for 2. Tana grabs the leg and kicks the thigh. He drops his weight on it next. He pulls Omega away from the ropes, and drops his weight across the knee again. Tana gets an Indian Death Lock in, and Omega responds with a slap. Tana gives it back, and they each pop off multiple slaps. Omega is able to reach the ropes. Tana stomps on Omega’s midsection. Omega blocks an Irish Whip, and Tana hits a nasty uppercut.
Omega drives his knee into the midsection next. He pops off a nice elbow to the chest, and then kicks Tana in the spine repeatedly. He tosses Tana into the turnbuckle, and drives his boot into the face. Nice backbreaker by Omega, and that gets a nearfall. Omega drives his elbow into the spine several times, and then slaps him some more. Tana blocks another back shot and gives some forearms to the face. Omega responds with a few chops to the chest, and another elbow to the back.
Omega with more light kicks to the face, and more hard kicks to the spine. High angle back suplex by Omega, and Tana rolls to the floor. Omega lifts him up and drops him back first across the apron with a suplex. Omega whips Tana into the barricade, but The Ace fights back with a dropkick to the face. His side catches the ring post on the way down. Omega quickly sends Tana back first into the apron again. Omega lifts Tana up for a powerslam, and instead sends him over the barricade and onto the Japanese announcer’s table.
Omega jumps right to the barricade, and hits a springboard moonsault onto Tana! Omega then grabs a table from under the ring. Tana climbs over the barricade, and brings Omega back into the ring. Omega with forearms, and Tana with some of his own. A big chop by Omega, and Tana takes it! Another chop, and he ducks a slap from Tana. Jumping forearm off the ropes by Tana. More strikes in the corner from Tana, and then a Dragon Screw Leg Whip.
Big dropkick sends Omega into the turnbuckle. Tana with a powerslam, and then a second rope senton gets Tana a 2 count. Tana goes for the Sling Blade, but Omega cuts him off with a chop, and follows with the Kotaro Crusher. As Tana recovers, Omega prepares for his Terminator dive, but Tana rushes in and dropkicks him. Another Sling Blade attempt, and Omega catches him with a hurricanrana. Tana is back on the floor by the ramp, and Omega connects flush with his Terminator Senton to the floor!
Omega rolls Tana back into the ring under the bottom rope, and then he goes to the top rope. He hits a nasty missile dropkick to the back of the shoulder. Snap Dragon Suplex by Omega, and another. Big V Trigger to Tana, as Omega smiles ear to ear. Omega goes for the One Winged Angel, but Tana slips out and looks for Twist & Shout, and Omega escapes that and does his You Can’t Escape slam. As he goes to the top, he tweaks his knee, and Tana sees an opening for a sick Dragon Screw.
Twist & Shout by Tana, and he moves next into the Texas Cloverleaf. Omega tries to crawl towards the ropes, and Tana pulls him farther back. Tana leans farther back into it, until Omega is able to move his way out of it. Tana still has the legs hooked, and he transitions into a Styles Clash out of nowhere! Tana goes to the top rope, and he hits the High Fly Flow, but Omega waits until the last possible second to get his knees up to block it, and the landing for Tana is grueling.
Omega is up, and he rushes Tana in the corner with a V Trigger, but Tana avoids it, and Omega only hits the turnbuckle. Tana grabs the leg from the apron, and hits another Dragon Screw. Both men are on the apron, and Tana connects with an awesome looking Sling Blade that pummels Omega. Tana then lays Omega on top of the table – very unlike the old school Tanahashi. He goes to the top rope, and comes down with the High Fly Flow, but Omega moves out of the way, and Tana crashes through the table and onto the floor!
Omega won’t stand for a countout win, so he brings Tana back into the ring. Nice clubbing blow and a kick to Tana’s body, and Omega goes to the top rope. He comes down with a brutal double stomp across the back. Omega lifts Tana up for a powerbomb, and he gets a 2 count off of it. Omega lifts him up out of that and hits another for another 2 count. Omega one more time with a gut wrench power bomb, and Tana kicks out again.
Omega now resorts to choking Tana on the mat. Omega sets up for the V Trigger, and Tana is back up with the Sling Blade! Both men struggle to get to their feet. Tana with a forearm, and Omega with one as well. Tana is struggling because of his back, and Omega is struggling because of his knee. Nice forearm exchange, until Omega starts to slap Tana repeatedly. A chop to the chest, and another slap. More slaps, and a big forearm. Tana bitch slaps him multiple times, and now we have a slap off!
Omega with a knee to the ribs, and more knees to the ribs on the mat. Omega with open hand strikes to the head. Gut wrench German Suplex by Omega, but Tana is back up! He is fighting through the pain, but Omega punches him straight to the ribs. More chops against the ropes. Omega pops off with a Sling Blade of his own! Omega hops over the top rope, and goes to the top. He hits his own High Fly Flow! Tana kicks out at 1! He ain’t having that shit!
Tana is back up, and he eats a V Trigger! Both men are back up, and Tana slaps Omega again. Omega with a knee to the ribs, and he stands tall over Tana before hitting a V Trigger right to the face. Tana catches one of the legs, and dropkicks the other. Tana looks to run the ropes, but Omega grabs him and hits a Poisonrana! Omega connects with another V Trigger in the ropes. He grabs Tana, who slaps him immediately. Another V Trigger to the face, and Omega sets up for the One Winged Angel, but Tana reverses it into a Poisonrana of his own!
Dragon Suplex into a pin by Tana, and Omega kicks out! Tana jumps the ropes, and he hits Aces High! He goes back up top, and hits the High Fly Flow! Red Shoes counts, and Omega kicks out just at the last second! The crowd is immersed in the action! Tana goes back to the top, and Omega rushes him with a V Trigger. Omega with a back chop, and now he’s on top with Tana. He hits a Dragon Suplex off the top that flips Tana inside out!
Omega gears up for one more V Trigger, and it connects very well. Tana is out, and Omega grabs him and lifts him up for the One Winged Angel. Tana is able to counter it with a Sling Blade of sorts! He hits the Sling Blade proper! He rolls Omega over, and goes to the top rope! Tana hits the High Fly Flow one last time, and it brings him the victory and his 8th IWGP Heavyweight Championship! Tana lays on the mat, with a huge smile on his face.
An absolutely incredible match with a surprising victor. The story throughout this was the different philosophies, and the bitter attitude that Kenny had against Tanahashi coming into this. It was a great little bit that Tana was willing to change his style briefly - though that High Fly Flow through the table did him no favors - but Kenny stuck to his tried and true method of wrestling, and that may have cost him in the end. He didn't change, but Tana did - he evolved.
The aggression was on point, and you felt the hatred that both men shared for the other throughout this. This wasn't just for the championship - it was personal, and they made you feel it. Despite his best years being behind him, Tanahashi was able to turn back the clock one more time, and stand tall in the Tokyo Dome, vanquishing Omega in what would be his final match as a full time New Japan competitor. Because, AEW things.
It was another great moment in Tanahashi's career, and a great end to his comeback story that started in 2018. Hats off to Omega, too, who felt more motivated here than he did during the entirety of his reign as champion. He had a chip on his shoulder, and a point to prove, and when Kenny Omega has something to prove, there is no one better.