#229: Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega, NJPW G1 Climax 27, Day 18 (8/12/2017).
This is the B Block Final of the G1 Tournament, with the winner advancing to face Tetsuya Naito in the finals just one day later.
For their third meeting in 2017, the stakes were somehow raised even higher than before. Coming into this match, Kazuchika Okada – sitting at 13 points – was being held together by bandages. On top of an incredible year of title defenses, his G1 campaign saw late game injuries pile up, with his loss to EVIL causing a neck injury, and his 30 minute time limit draw to Minoru Suzuki being arguably the most punishing match he had all tournament. The catch? Both of those matches happened back to back BEFORE this one.
As for Kenny Omega – sitting at 12 points – this would turn into possibly his greatest chance at defeating the Rainmaker in singles competition. For one thing, he had to win here. A draw would only advance Okada to the finals, but if Omega came by with a win, he’d not only best the man he hasn’t beaten all year, but he would go to the G1 Finals for the second year in a row, and face off with Tetsuya Naito, the man he beat in 2016 to advance to the G1 26 finals.
Despite the advantages and disadvantages that both men had coming into this match, there was one bullet point that heavily favored Okada: Their Wrestle Kingdom 11 match went over 46 minutes, and their Dominion rematch in June went to a 60 minute draw. G1 Block matches have a 30 minute time limit, and once again, if this goes to a draw, Okada goes to the finals. In Sumo Hall, one of Japan’s most legendary venues, anticipation was through the roof to see what these two could pull off.
The bell sounds, and here we go! Sumo Hall is hot for Omega right away. Omega boots Okada in the face, and Okada responds with an uppercut. Omega blocks a dropkick, and Okada avoids a V Trigger. Okada attempts the Rainmaker, and Omega slips out and hits a Snap Dragon Suplex. V Trigger hits the turnbuckle, and Okada tries for a top rope dropkick. Omega blocks it and tries for One Winged Angel, and Okada slips free and dropkicks Omega off the top rope to the floor. Great flurry of offense to start out!
Off that dropkick, Okada immediately grabs his injured neck. On the outside, Okada irish whips Omega into the steel ringside barricade. Hard elbow to the jaw, followed by a boot that sends Omega into the first row. With Omega seated, Okada runs the floor and hits a dive over the barricade onto Omega! Once again, he clutches at his neck. He tosses Omega back into the ring, then scales the top rope. Elbow drop lands flush, and Okada busts out the Rainmaker pose.
Okada attempts the Rainmaker, but Omega traps the arm and sends him to the floor. Omega with a nice dive to the outside onto Okada, which sends the Rainmaker back first into the barricade. The neck? It also took some damage. Back in the ring, Omega goes to the top rope, and hits a beautiful missile dropkick to the neck, and Okada somehow kicks out at 2. Omega transitions right into a neck crank submission hold.
Okada tries to scoot his way to the ropes, and Omega grabs his leg to make it harder. He rips off the trainer’s tape from the neck, exposing the neck even more. Huge backbreaker across the knee, and Okada kicks out again. Omega with a hard kick to the spine, and another. Chop across the chest, and Omega gets another nearfall. Omega continues his assault of the neck with a chin lock. Okada fires back with a big boot right to Omega’s face.
Okada goes for a senton, and Omega gets his knees up to block it. More damage to the back and neck. Omega tries for a piledriver, and Okada fights it off. He hits a back body drop to The Cleaner. He misses an elbow in the corner. Omega rushes him, and Okada catches him with a neckbreaker across his knee. Hard elbows by Okada, and a running back elbow to the head. Stiff elbow in the corner, and a spike DDT follow. With every piece of offense, Okada continues to clutch his neck.
Running uppercut by Okada, and Omega kicks out at 1. Okada goes for the Tombstone, but his neck gives out. Omega with some hard clubbing blows and chops to the neck that echo throughout Ryogoku. Omega gets Okada in the Fireman’s Carry/Moonsault combo, and Okada gets his knees up to block the latter. Hurricanrana by Omega out of nowhere sends Okada to the floor. Omega rushes Okada with a dropkick to the back of the neck, and now he prepares for the Terminator dive.
He rises up, and runs the ropes, but Okada is back in with a flapjack out of nowhere. Okada looks for the Tombstone again, but Omega slips out and goes to the apron. Huge chop to the neck, and Okada responds with a dropkick sending Omega to the floor. Okada follows him, but gets caught with a Poisonrana, spiking Okada on the ground! Red Shoes considers stopping the match, as the ringside doctor checks on Okada.
Omega shoves everyone away, and brings Okada to the apron. Snap Dragon Suplex on the apron absolutely destroys him! Back in the ring immediately, Omega hits the neckbreaker across his knee, and somehow Okada survives! Omega pushes Red Shoes out of the way, and he lifts Okada to his knees. Omega with a V Trigger right to the kisser. 15 minute call is made, as another V Trigger drills Okada.
He tries to fire back with an elbow, and Omega responds with a huge chop to the chest. Okada is forcing himself to work through the pain, as he delivers more elbows. Omega responds with repeated chops to the neck, and another V Trigger, which Okada blocks with more elbows, and Omega hits another V Trigger! Omega goes for the One Winged Angel, and Okada blocks it into a Tombstone! Omega is up first, and he places Okada on the top rope.
Big chop to the chest, and he joins him up there. He looks for a Fisherman Buster, but Okada counters it with hard elbows to the face. Okada with a brutal shotgun dropkick to Omega from the top, and Omega lands hard on his neck, and so does Okada! Both men are down. Another shotgun dropkick by Okada, who has seemingly found his second wind. Rainmaker is blocked by a chop. Okada with an uppercut, and Omega with a V Trigger in the ropes.
Omega runs the ropes, and Okada hits a beautiful dropkick! It’s the same dropkick that, according to Omega during an interview with Dave Meltzer, is the cause of his issues with vertigo. Okada goes for the Rainmaker again, and Omega counters with a V Trigger. He goes for the Poisonrana, and Okada counters into a high German Suplex. Rainmaker is blocked again by a brutal Urinage that nearly spikes Okada on his head! More damage to the neck!
One Winged Angel is blocked once again, this time by the Rainmaker! Okada finally connects, as we hit the 20 minute mark. He crawls desperately to the cover, and Omega is able to kick out. All that time to recover cost the IWGP Heavyweight Champion. He brings Omega back to his feet, and goes for the Tombstone, and Omega counters into a victory roll and a back slide for two nearfalls. Okada maintains wrist control and drills him with the Rainmaker.
Okada with another, and he immediately places his head against the turnbuckle. He’s in the lead, but just barely. Okada goes for it one more time, but Omega counters into a German Suplex! Another, and it’s a high one dropping Okada on his neck. Okada elbows Omega in the head, and Omega is still able to hit the Poisonrana! He covers, and Okada barely gets his shoulder up. Omega goes for One Winged Angel again, but Okada is fighting it. Omega transitions to Croyt’s Wrath, which he hasn’t used since last year’s G1! He bridges, and Okada still kicks out.
Omega runs for the V Trigger, and Okada catches him with the dropkick! Rainmaker blocked by a rip cord V Trigger! Omega with the Jay Driller spikes Okada, and he still kicks out! Omega is back up first, and he connects with the V Trigger flush! He lifts Okada up, and finally hits the One Winged Angel! Red Shoes counts, and that’s the win! Omega has advanced to the G1 finals for the second straight year, but maybe as important, he has finally defeated Okada!
So, let’s be serious for a minute. Before this review, I had seen this match two prior times, and both times, I did not care for it. I couldn’t tell you exactly why, but when I watched them, nothing stuck out to me about this match.
That tune has changed in 2025! This is an absolutely phenomenal match, with high stakes, high drama, and some of the best selling you’ll see anywhere. The G1 Climax is a great place for feuds, because the 30 minute time limit plays a bigger role than you could imagine. Here, it was basically the story of the match, as both men looked to accomplish something that they couldn’t previously do – best the other in a half hour.
Okada was tremendous here, playing the wounded champion who’s bad physical condition was still keeping him in the game, because he’s that damn good. He sold his injured neck at basically every point in this match, and he made sure to remind everyone that it was as key of a player to this game as the two combatants themselves. He also, as he always does, did a fantastic job of building up the possibility that Omega wasn’t going to win this match.
Omega, to his credit, sold desperation better here than he did in any of the singles matches that they had. His back was against the wall, and victory was his only option. He helped give the match a rapid pace, and he upped the violence factor because he simply didn’t have a choice. It was do or die, and he knew that the only way to attain the win was to destroy Okada’s neck as much as humanly possible. And that, he did to a T.
The neck work was tremendous, it made sense, and both men sold around it to the best of their abilities. This was just awesome all around. It’s a condensed version of their first two epic singles matches, and it’s arguably the most brutal match they’ve had together. Omega finally found victory over the Rainmaker, but even then, it felt hollow. If Okada wasn’t coming into this match injured, would the result have changed? Despite finding finality in the trilogy, there was still doubt as to whether or not Omega was on Okada’s level. And with doubt, comes the need for one final showdown.