Kazuchika Okada powers through Kaito Kiyomiya with two emphatic Rainmakers
One of the most hotly anticipated bouts in all of professional wrestling took place at the Tokyo Dome on February 21, GHC Heavyweight and IWGP World Heavyweight Champions colliding when Kazuchika Okada met Kaito Kiyomiya.
Okada made a spectacular champion’s entrance in the face of Kiyomiya, the rain of Okada bills falling in the Dome before the Rainmaker faced off against NOAH’s Supernova. When the bell rang, a momentary pause preceded a firm lockup center ring, Kiyomiya forced back into the ropes where he did not receive a clean break at the hands of Okada. An angered Kiyomiya would fire off forearms to Okada, who repeatedly tried to throw his NOAH foe to the floor; after Kiyomiya twice re-entered, he was given no choice with an ugly German suplex that was soon followed by a harsh bodyslam on the outside mats and then a DDT on the concrete floor of the Tokyo Dome.
Kiyomiya got back in the ring at the referee’s 15 count, and was drilled with another DDT center ring for two. The confident Rainmaker beckoned the GHC Champion to give his best shots, but would be quickly put to the canvas time and again; Okada went for his top rope elbow and scored flush, the Rainmaker Pose shown to the fans at not five minutes into the bout.
Sensing the danger he was in, Kiyomiya would rally, and blasted two heavy forearm shivers to Okada. Now it was the Rainmaker spilling to the floor, and with tables turned, Okada tasted the ringside steel; as the World Champion reacted with a back body drop to a charging Kiyomiya, he was rocked with a supolex over the guardrail and onto concrete. A tope con giro over the railing and into Okada scored big for the NOAH standard bearer, and now it was Okada having to answer a twenty count, Kiyomiya refusing to let Okada rest and bringing him back inside.
After a missile dropkick, Kiyomiya delivered a stalling German suplex to Okada, before setting for a Tiger follow up. Okada would resist, and a flapjack saw both champions reset. A shotgun dropkick from Okada met a Kiyomiya running knee; the classic Okada dropkick followed and after a Tombstone, Okada looked to go home, but the Rainmaker was blocked by a high knee from the Supernova.
Frantic, but precise, Kiyomoiya would land repeated knees and then his own dropkick to Okada before heading upstairs with a shotgun blast to the Rainmaker arm. A Shining Wizard would follow, but a second attempt was met with a massive Okada dropkick, the capacity crowd cheering for both men as they lay stunned on the mat.
It was Okada up first, and walking the dog on Kiyomiya with a short arm lariat. Once again though, the Rainmaker wasn’t coming, met with a Shining Wizard and a Tiger Suplex for a heart stopping nearfall. Kiyomiya went for the Shining Wizard once more but was blasted with the Landslide and the Rainmaker; Okada would refuse to take the three count and pulled Kiyomiya up for an enzuigiri, Cobra Flowsion and another Rainmaker to end the bout.
Originally posted at Read More