The main event of NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 is set, for now. The finals of the 32nd annual G1 Climax round robin tournament pitted Will Ospreay against Kazuchika Okada in their eighth singles contest against one another. Entering this final, Ospreay had lost seven of those bouts. Following his successful semi-final match against Tetsuya Naito, Ospreay cut an impassioned promo ahead of his next attempt at the Rainmaker.ย
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“This doesn’t get spoken about enough. In May, I nearly died. I had a kidney infection that nearly killed me and in three months, three months after hearing that I could die, I’m in the G1 final,” Ospreay said following his semifinal victory over Tetsuya Naito. “And my opponent is a man [that I] seemingly can’t beat on my own. In the seven matches Ospreay and Okada have had, Okada has won six of them. Six. And everyone is now doubting me because they think I can’t beat Okada.
“I’ve seen it done with my own eyes. I have seen AJ Styles beat Okada. I have seen [Hiroshi] Tanahashi beat Okada. I have seen Naito beat Okada. I’ve even seen Jay White dethrone Okada,” Ospreay continued. “Do you know what makes me different? I know in my heart, I know that I’m better than all those guys. I know I’m the best wrestler in the world today. Best of the super juniors, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, New Japan Cup, British Heavyweight Champion, NEVER Openweight Champion, United States Champion, World Heavyweight Champion. Believe me when I say this: I’m not going to lose. I will beat Okada. I will lead New Japan out of the dark ages and I will bring it back to the light.”
The two men would clash at 5 AM EST this morning, going nearly 34 minutes in a hard hitting affair. Both men were able to escape each other’s finishers, with Okada kicking out of Ospreay’s Hidden Blade and Ospreay kicking out of Okada’s Rainmaker. The bout culminated in Ospreay’s next attempt at a Hidden Blade being countered, as Okada landed a Rainmaker for the pinfall victory.
This all but confirms Okada vs. IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jay White for the main event of NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17, but the road to the Tokyo Dome is paved with obstacles for both champion and challenger. The G1 Climax winner typically defends his title shot in singles matches leading up to Wrestle Kingdom, meaning Okada will likely put his championship match on the line at least a couple of times before January. As for White, he is sure to put his gold on the line before Wrestle Kingdom. Considering Tama Tonga defeated White in an earlier G1 B Block match, Tonga has a claim to a title shot at some point down the line.
Okada has now won four G1 Climaxes, and is one away from tying Masahiro Chono’s record. His victory does come with some cemented history, as he is just the fourth wrestler to win consecutive G1’s.
Ospreay’s next move comes in the United States, as he returns to All Elite Wrestling to participate in the AEW World Trios Titles tournament. He will team with Aussie Open to take on Death Triangle on next Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite.
