Yep! You heard it right. The fourth bout between Kazuchika Okada and Kenny Omega have destroyed the ratings system, again. The two pro wrestlers collided at New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) Dominion event, which took place at Osaka-jō Hall in Japan on June 9.
The no-time limit 2 out of 3 falls match featured everything: from hard-hitting chops to gruesome piledrivers. Both Okada and Omega put each other through hell before "The Best Bout Machine" hit "The Rainmaker" with his "One Winged Angel" finisher for the decisive pinfall.
If you're a fan of professional wrestling, and that is not limited only to the WWE, you should probably know that Okada and Omega have quite a history in the ring. Their first match at NJPW's premier Wrestle Kingdom 11, which Okada won, was a six-star masterpiece.
The second match, a draw, at last year's Dominion 6.11 broke the ratings system and earned a rare six and a quarter stars from veteran American journalist Dave Meltzer. The third chapter in their classic rivalry, Omega finally won this one, also earned a six-star rating from Meltzer.
With a trilogy of critically-acclaimed matches at their disposal all that was needed was a fitting conclusion to the epic rivalry between the two professional wrestlers. Not only did they went all-out in the ring, they topped their previous encounters.
"When it had ended, my thought was that this was the greatest match I’ve ever seen. Not arguably, and not by a little bit either. It was at a level far beyond when it came to emotion, storytelling, and attention to detail," Meltzer wrote in his Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
"It was almost astonishing watching it. […] But the biggest difference was I thought I would never see another match this good again. This was not some five-star match or six-star match."
Fans and professional wrestlers alike have hailed this modern rivalry that has often been credited with redefining professional wrestling when it comes to in-ring psychology and storytelling. Both Okada and Omega have numerous accolades to their names and their in-ring chemistry is off the charts.