There was no changing of the guard that took place at Njpw Dominion as Kazuchika Okada once again escaped with the IWGP heavyweight championship tightly wrapped around his belt after battling to a draw with nemesis Kenny Omega in their classic 60-minuite time limit match on Sunday at Osaka-Jo Hall in Osaka, Japan.
How was the match won?
In a rematch of their WrestleKingdom 11 showdown, Okada and Omega put on another classic encounter worthy of a 5-star Meltzer rating. The match featured a lot of Rainmakers from Okada, hard knee from Omega and stiff shots from both wrestlers.
Newly anointed Bullet Club member Cody Rhodes nearly cost Omega the match when he threw in a towel on him, but the challenger kept on going. Okada had a chance to win the match but was unable to pin Omega before the time limit expired due to exhaustion.
Who’s the next challenger for Okada’s title?
Cody Rhodes appears to the next man up to challenge Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship after ‘the Grandson of a Plumber’ interruption the champion’s promo right after his classic match with Omega. Rhodes, who just joined the Bullet Club last December, defeated Michael Elgin in the undercards of NJPW Dominion and again almost cost Omega the victory after attempting to throw in the towel on his stable-mate.
Rhodes instantly established himself as the ideal heel challenger to Okada after spitting beer in the face of the title-holder.
Result of Intercontinental Championship Match
Japanese wrestling legend Hiroshi Tanahashi re-captured the IWGP Intercontinental Championship after submitting Tetsuya Naito with his patented cloverleaf lock.
Tanahashi, who had his first reign as the promotion’s intercontinental champ last September, continued to pad his credentials as one of the greatest champions Japanese wrestling has ever seen after his latest title-clinching performance. Aside from two reigns as IWGP Intercontinental champion, Tanahashi holds the record for most reigns as IWGP Heavyweight Champion while winning the promotion’s biggest tournament, the G1 Climax, twice in his career (2007 and 2015).
Winner of the Best of the Super Junior 2017 takes crown
Kushida, the winner of the best of the Super Junior tournament, fulfilled his destiny of becoming the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion after Hiromi Takahashi in their 19-minuite contest. Kushida, who is also a two-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight tag team champion, ended Takahashi’s five-month reign as the company’s junior champ. Kushida earned the title shot after defeating Will Osprey in the finals of the Best of Super Juniors championship in their 27-minute showdown.
