Kazuchika Okada secures second defence
The main event on the last night of the New Year’s Golden Series saw Kazuchika Okada defend his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Tetsuya Naito, moving to a 6-5 record against a career long rival.
After a tense back and forth saw both men attempt to gain an advantage, a short dropkick to a knee the challenger had worked over for the entirety of the tour would put Naito in charge. Okada would spill to the floor where Naito would continue the pressure, landing a heavy neckbreaker, and El Ingobernable would keep switching upstairs and down as Okada struggled to get a look in.
When confidence built for Naito though, Okada took quick advantage. Naito was unable to sweep both legs of the champion in the corner before going for his dropkick combination, allowing Okada to post on one knee and hit a reverse neckbreaker. Now with an opening, Okada refused to let it go, dropping Naito straight south with a DDT on the ring apron and another back inside, but the Rainmaker couldn’t connect with his patented elbow drop, Naito responding with a rope sprung swinging DDT, both men’s necks severely hurting.
Naito would pursue the champion’s neck the more aggressively, back elbows connecting before a hangman’s neckbreaker off the top granted him two. An instinctive big boot would counter for the champion, who followed with the Money Clip, initially quickly countered by Naito, but more punishing on its second application after a hard dropkick to the face.
Now the elbow drop scored, and Okada made his first attempt at the Rianmeker, but was countered into Pluma Blanca, Naito digging deep into his old submission playbook before connecting with a top rope Frankensteiner. With Esperanza, Naito had victory within his grasp, and when a running Destino didn’t hit at first, a Heavy Rain counter into a short version of the move did.
Naito couldn’t land the full version, and Okada would take Naito’s wrist, only to be stopped by El Ingobernable before the Rainmaker connected. A running Destino would get a near two, and Naito followed up with the gameplan that scored him double IWGP gold in the Tokyo Dome two years prior; Stardust Press scored for two, and then Naito wanted Valentia, but this time Okada had a counter waiting.
Okada’s own variation on a short Destino would make the difference; Okada came to his feet and landed a dropkick, and though Naito would himself defiantly fire back, he fell to the Landslide Tombstone and then the Rainmaker for the Okada victory.
Naito had praise for Naito after the bell, declaring him indeed a worthy opponent for the 50th anniversary, but then set his sights to the future. Acknowledging the unprecedented 48 man field for the New Japan Cup coming up, Okada declared himself part of the field before suggesting IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion El Desperado as a first round opponent. Both the cup lineup and the full card for the 50th Anniversary Event on March 1 will be revealed on February 21.
