Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada’s rivalry over the IWGP Heavyweight Championship proved to be one of the most influential series of matches of the last decade. Their first encounter at Wrestle Kingdom 11 in 2017 helped both men rise to international prominence and Omega’s quest for the gold was not only a highlight of New Japan programming but helped further build The Elite prior to the launch of All Elite Wrestling. The last of their matches saw Omega finally beat Okada in a No Time Limit, Two-Out-Of-Three Falls match at Dominion 2018, resulting in “The Cleaner” finally winning New Japan’s top prize.
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Omega now holds a 2-1-1 record over “The Rainmaker,” though Okada has since won the IWGP (World) Heavyweight Championship three more times. But there’s always been speculation that there would be at least one more match between the two, especially once relationships between AEW and NJPW strengthened. The two companies had their first crossover event, AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door, last year, but Omega was still recovering from a series of injuries and surgeries at the time. Omega then returned to New Japan at Wrestle Kingdom 17, defeating Will Ospreay to reclaim the IWGP United States Championship for a second time. Shockingly, Omega and Okada then teamed up the following day for a tag match at New Year Dash.
“I wouldn’t be so quick to scratch his name off the list of guys I wouldn’t help,” Omega explained in a new interview with Sports Illustrated over why the team-up happened. “Our match together was a wild-card draft. It was a fun time. It felt to me like, ‘We had our thing. Our thing is done. I’ve said it before — Okada is very sharp. He is who he is for a reason. I had a lot of fun teaming with him at New Japan Dash, so I wouldn’t strike that off the list of potential people who I wouldn’t mind having their back.”
Okada then stirred up speculation that the two might cross paths at this year’s Forbidden Door when he recently signed off with Omega’s catchphrase, “Good Bye and Good Night.” Omega said he took notice, but didn’t seem so confident about a match.
“We’re in completely separate divisions right now. I’m U.S. champion, and he’s competing for the IWGP heavy. It’s good to let us exist in our respective worlds and be comrades for a change,” Omega said.
