At WrestleKingdom 14, the landscape of New Japan Pro Wrestling seemingly changed, and with it, so did the promotion's top prize. Throughout the 'COVID era', many individuals began to question on when the company would return to it's rightful place at the top, and that included creating a sense of consistency for what mattered the most - the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Now fast-forwarding to about two years later, the battle of champions has become a reality, as two of NJPW's finest currently hold the most prestigious belt in Japan, with only one of them being able to walk out of the Tokyo Dome with it still firmly around their waist. Unpredictability has surrounded the company since WK 14, but now with a chance to finally change the direction of New Japan for the better. With the year 2022 finally upon us, this booking aims to give the proper booking this prestigious title deserves.

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WrestleKingdom 16 (Night One)

"And finally the RAINMAKER connects! 1...2...3...! After a two year drought, Kazuchika Okada has recaptured the IWGP Heavyweight Championship!

Without a question, the CHAOS Leader has earned his rightful spot back on top, and with that, Okada is handed NJPW's top title after a competitive main event, but his celebration doesn't last all that long. As a livid KENTA attacks the champion from behind, clearly upset over his US title loss earlier in the evening to Hiroshi Tanahashi, he begins to let out his frustrations on a familiar foe. He's soon joined by his Bullet Club stablemate, in the form of Jay White! The aforementioned stable have been a thorn in the side of Okada numerous times before, and this time they have no hesitations in putting down The Rainmaker once again. As the beatdown commences, the numbers advantage seems to be benefiting BC, with the Heavyweight Champion unable to garner any momentum, and instead finds himself lying in the center of the squared circle. As the two stand over their fallen target, a familiar theme begins to play over the PA System, as 'The Ace' is here, which captures KENTA's attention almost immediately, and seemingly prompts him to leave Okada, be and puts his entire focus on Tanahashi...

Without much surprise, he begins to march towards the ring, and upon entering it, he proceeds to bring it to some of Bullet Club's finest! However, yet again, the advantage has gone to the numbers of the aforementioned stable, as they attempt to seal the deal and ground the IWGP US Champion, but to no avail as Okada returns to a vertical base. Without a second thought, he proceeds to grab ahold of White's waist, and swings him back around for an attempted RAINMAKER, but White counters it into a successful BLADERUNNER! With one half of their targets now grounded, KENTA takes care of his opposition earlier in the night, as he lands a devastating BUSAIKU KNEE! Almost immediately landing this maneuver, the two individuals stand over both of the fallen victims, as a clear message has been sent, as KENTA proceeds to pick up NJPW's most prestigious title, holding it up above his head, before throwing it down upon Okada's fallen corpse. Since arriving to the scene back in 2019, he's wanted to be the pinnacle of this very promotion, now he has his shot to complete this task.

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New Year Dash!! 2022

Kazuchika Okada & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. KENTA & Jay White (Bullet Club) - Tag Team Match

Following the heinous actions of Bullet Club back at WrestleKingdom, this upcoming tag contest has been made official, with a lot of history undoubtedly attached to it. With that said, the non-champions make their way out from the back first, and without any further hesitation, they are greeted with an ovation of boos from the faithful audience in Osaka. However, this doesn't bother the duo, but rather they simply continue their descent down the entrance ramp, and then into the ring without a second thought. Upon awaiting for their opposition's arrival, a simultaneous smirk comes across both of their faces, as they proceed to motion for two of New Japan's finest to make their entrances. Right on cue, both Okada and Tanahashi make it so they are visible to the public eye, one after the other, undoubtedly showcasing their prominence in this well-known promotion. Eventually meeting Bullet Club in the center of the ring, both Okada and White volunteer to start this contest off for their respective teams, and with their shared history together, it isn't all that surprising in all honesty.

With the opening bell officially ringing, both individuals slowly move out from their respective corners, and decide to engage in a lock-up, simply in an attempt to gain the early advantage. Both men go back-and-forth, and on numerous occasions it seemed as either competitor could've captured the advantage, and eventually it was White, who successfully locked in a headlock. However, it wouldn't be locked in for too long, as Okada pushed his opposition back to the nearest set of ropes, and proceeded to push him off of them, and to the other side of the ring, where Okada was able to catch him with a shoulder block. It's no secret that the CHAOS Leader's offense is quite intense, which is why immediately following this maneuver, White proceeded to fall down to his back upon the canvas, which garnered a slight smirk from the champion, who called for the Bullet Club Leader to return to a vertical base. After a few moments, Okada made his way back to the ropes, and then jumped over his adversary, but upon returning to the center of the ring, BUT WHITE CAUGHT HIM WITH A LARIAT! Having taken down Okada for the first time this evening, he seems to be in control at this point.

Realizing that this wouldn't put away 'The Rainmaker' away just yet, White begins to pick up Okada up from the canvas, and once he was once again back up to a vertical base, White attempted for a SNAP SUPLEX, but Okada is able to counter the maneuver, and LANDS A NECKBREAKER! Clearly the tables have now turned, and NJPW's top star is currently in the driver's seat, which he almost immediately realizes. Without any hesitation, he now lifts up White up from the canvas, as he now looks for a DDT, but to no avail, as WHITE IS ABLE TO LAND HIS OWN INSTEAD! With both competitors now face-first upon the canvas, after a few moments have passed, they both begin to make their way to the opposite corners, clearly looking for a breather, after an intense several minutes of competitive warfare. In just a matter of moments, both individuals are able to tag in their respective partners, which prompts both KENTA and Hiroshi Tanahashi to enter the ring, as they proceed to meet eachother in the center of it. Unlike their respective partners, they decide not to start straight with a lock-up, but instead chose to showcase their clear hatred for another, which is proven by a back-and-forth exchange.

The two landed numerous forearms to eachother, with the aim to fatigue their opponent, which eventually did occur. Similar to their previous encounters, the power behind KENTA proved to be quite powerful, which caused Tanahashi to fall down to a knee. Not looking to waste a single second, KENTA races towards the ropes, where he then rebounds off of them, AND SUCCESSFULLY CONNECTS WITH A DIVING KNEE DROP TO THE SEATED OPPOSITION! Following this maneuver, for the first time in this very contest, an attempted pinfall would occur, as the former US Heavyweight Champion looked to gain a measure of revenge for WrestleKingdom...1...2...KICKOUT! TANAHASHI REFUSES TO BE PUT AWAY, HE'S NOT ONE TO FALL EASILY, AND NEVER HAS BEEN ADMITTELY! Frustration now begins to settle in for the 'Black Sun', as he immediately returns to a vertical base, and attempts to end this contest on an early note, AS HE TRIES TO LOCK IN A GAME OVER...BUT THE CHAMPION WON'T ALLOW IT, AS HE IS ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY ESCAPE IT AFTER MANAGING TO CRAWL TO THE ROPES!

Without any other choice available, KENTA had to release the submission maneuver, due to the official beginning his count for the mandatory release of the hold, which after a few seconds, he ends up complying to. Upon now attempting to lift up Tanahashi once again, he looks to irish-whip him into the nearest corner, bust instead of being able to complete this action, 'The Ace' is able to counter the maneuver, simply able to keep his grip upon KENTA' s arm, AND CONNECTS WITH A TWIST AND SHOUT! Finally able to put down his former challenger, he now begins to slowly crawl over to his corner, and without any second thoughts, HE TAGS IN OKADA, WHO IS ALL TOO EAGER TO ENTER THE FREY! Quickly entering the ring, he decides to hoist up his adversary, seemingly looking for a measure of vengeance, and then sends KENTA into the nearest corner, where he follows up with a RUNNING ELBOW SMASH INTO THE CORNER, WHICH PROMPTS HIM TO TRANSITION INTO A DDT!

With that said, feeling as he could be closing in on the victory, he once again picked up KENTA, in an attempt to seal the deal. As he did just that, he WAS ABLE TO CONNECT WITH A TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER... VINTAGE OKADA! It's about that time, just like every previous matchup of his, he returns to a vertical base and shouts out at the top of his lungs, spreading his arms out wide. This could only mean one thing, the very follow-up we have seen time-and-time again, on countless occasions. Signaling for the conclusion of this match, he attempts to position KENTA up to a vertical base, grabbing ahold of his waist as he did so, AND LOOKED FOR A RAINMAKER... BUT HIS OPPOSITION IS ABLE TO COUNTER IT, AND LANDS A COMBINATION OF ELBOW SMASHES! This somehow takes down Okada, but due to the power behind these very specific maneuvers, Okada falls down to both of his knees. Seeing this as his moment to shine, KENTA rushes up to the top rope, AND CONNECTS WITH A DIVING DOUBLE FOOT STOMP TO THE BACK OF OKADA! 1...2...3...! KENTA PINS THE CHAMPION!

KENTA & Jay White def. Kazuchika Okada & Hiroshi Tanahashi via Pinfall (24:00)

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New Beginning in Nagoya 2022

Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. KENTA - IWGP World Heavyweight Championship

After overcoming The Rainmaker at New Year Dash!!, KENTA is given yet another shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, with his last opportunity being back in 2019, where he inevitably fell to Tetsuya Naito only two years ago. Speaking of the challenger, he heads out from the back first, and just like a few weeks prior, he's greeted with an ovation of boos. Coming out on his own, he simply ignores the reactions from New Japan's faithful, and instead focuses on the task at hand, and continues his journey towards the ring. Upon eventually entering it, he doesn't waste much time in motioning for the champion to join him, and in just a matter of moments, Okada grants his opposition's wish. As he comes out from behind the curtain, he's unsurprisingly positively greeted by the crowd, which lights up his face, and gives him the motivation to finish his descent down the entrance ramp. His immaculate entrance eventually comes to it's conclusion, and as he enters the squared circle, he proceeds to hand NJPW's top title to the official in charge. Which prompts both individuals in this contest to head to their respective corners, as they await for the bell to sound.

After a few moments had passed, the opening bell officially rang, which now led both competitors to make it out from their individual corners, and then into the center of the ring, and proceeded to engage in a lock-up. In an important contest such as this one, earning an early advantage could be crucial, which is why both of these men attempted to achieve just this, which the champion was able to do with an acceptable amount of struggle. Upon gaining the advantage, Okada quickly locked in a headlock, and with KENTA's ability to breath quickly dwindling, his desperations to escape the champion's tight grip only increased rapidly, which prompted him to make it towards the nearest set of ropes, and push Okada off to the other side of the ring, which he ends up doing successfully. Upon rebounding off of them, Okada comes back CRASHING INTO KENTA'S KNEE, WHICH LANDS DIRECTLY UPON HIS GUT! The air obviously being taken out of his lungs, he falls down to the canvas back-first, and attempts to gain his ability to breath properly back, but that's easier said than done.

Seeing this very moment as an opportunity to continue his attack, KENTA motions for Okada to return to a vertical base. Upon doing so after a quick recovery, the Black Sun grabs ahold of his adversary's arm, and irish-whips him into the corner, where he ATTEMPTS TO FOLLOW UP FOR A HIGH KNEE IN THE CORNER... BUT OKADA GETS OUT OF THE WAY IN THE NICK OF TIME! Not wasting any extra time, Okada fires back with a combination of forearms, which unsurprisingly stun the challenger, which leads to The Rainmaker backing up a few inches, AND CONNECTING WITH A RUNNING EUROPEAN UPPERCUT IN THE CORNER! With the power behind the aforementioned maneuver, it has a bigger effect on KENTA than one may imagine, as he moves himself up a couple of inches out from the corner, which garners the attention of Okada, who PROCEEDS TO LAND A DDT! For the first time in this contest, an attempted pinfall occurs, as Okada looks to retain his title a bit early...1...2...KICKOUT!

KENTA STAYS IN THIS ONE, THAT SIMPLY WAS JUST NOT ENOUGH TO PUT HIM DOWN! An individual might begin to feel a sense of frustration by now, but for Okada, he knows what's at stake on this very night... the future of this company is in the palm of his hands! With that said, he quickly begins to rise back to a vertical base, and looks to inflict even more damage upon his opponent, simply in an attempt to retain his championship, which prompted him to attempt for AN AIR RAID CRASH...IT CONNECTS! With KENTA once again back-first upon the canvas, Okada makes it a point to showcase that he's done playing games, and he's ready to witness the conclusion of this matchup. He proceeds to position KENTA in a seated position, where HE'S ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY LOCK IN THE MONEY CLIP, THE VERY MOVE THAT HAS PUT AWAY SO MANY OF NJPW'S FINEST BEFORE! KENTA's inability to breath has now returned, as he desperately attempts the champion's deathly grip, but simply to no avail. The challenger begins to pass out, but before he the official can call for the bell, Okada lets go of his grip.

Now grabbing ahold of KENTA's waist, he begins to slowly lift him up, AND ATTEMPTS FOR A RAINMAKER... BUT HE COUNTERS IT INTO AN ELBOW SMASH! This unsurprisingly stuns Okada just a bit, as he backs up a few inches, AND NOW ATTEMPTS FOR HIS OWN FINISHING MANEUVER, IN THE FORM OF A BUSAIKU KNEE... BUT OKADA MOVES OUT OF THE WAY, AND GRABS ONTO KENTA'S ARM ONCE AGAIN! He then decides to irish-whip him to the nearest set of ropes, and upon rebounding off of them, KENTA IS MET WITH AN ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL DROPKICK! After connecting with this gorgeous maneuver, anyone familiar with Okada's arsenal, knew only one maneuver was yet to be tested, as he began to lift up KENTA, AND ATTEMPTED FOR A SPINNING TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER, BUT THE CHALLENGER WAS ABLE TO ESCAPE IT, AND FIRED BACK WITH A BUSAIKU KNEE! 1...2...KICKOUT! OKADA SURVIVES THE ATTEMPTED PINFALL, AND STAYS IN THIS ONE FOR NOW!

Unlike Okada earlier in this matchup, KENTA now begins to visibly show his frustrations, and rightfully so. However, if he still desires to walk out as the IWGP Heavyweight Champion, he will have to focus on the task at hand, and truly commit to it. And with that being said, he proceeded to pick up the champion, and looked to put a stop to this contest, with an ATTEMPTED G2S, but OKADA COUNTERS IT AND LOOKS FOR A RAINMAKER...WHICH KENTA DOESN'T ALLOW, AND CONNECTS WITH A FISHERMAN BUSTER INSTEAD! With Okada now positioning himself on his back, the challenger decides to scale up to the top rope, AND LOOKS FOR A DIVING DOUBLE FOOT STOMP, THE SAME MANEUVER THAT PUT AWAY OKADA A LITTLE LESS THAN A MONTH AGO! However, as he comes down from the top turnbuckle with it, OKADA CATCHES HIM WITH A MID-AIR DROPKICK, AND THEN TRANSITIONS INTO A RAINMAKER, WITH IT FINALLY CONNECTING, AND PRATICIALLY TAKING THE AIR OUT OF HIS OPPOSITION! 1...2...3...! THE RAINMAKER RETAINS AFTER A GRUESOME DEFENSE!

Kazuchika Okada (c) def. KENTA via Pinfall (25:33)

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With KENTA's loss to The Rainmaker, Bullet Club doesn't stay silent during the press release during the post-show. Stepping right in-front of KENTA, Jay White decides to speak for the entirety of the stable, as he states that the constant failures of the faction can't continue to occur, and with that said, he'll be taking matters into his own hands. Back at New Year Dash, both KENTA and him, were able to overcome the champion, and with that, he'll be challenging Kazuchika Okada for the championship next. He continues, by saying that, he's taken down Okada before, even back in The Tokyo Dome, which is why at Castle Attack, he'll once again capture NJPW's top title. With that being said, he walks off with a sense of determination upon his face, and a confused KENTA in the background.

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Castle Attack 2022

Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Jay White - IWGP World Heavyweight Championship

Back in early January at New Year Dash!!, both KENTA and Jay White were able to overcome The Rainmaker and The Ace, with the former undeniably coming out on top, which has determined Okada's next defense this evening. While White wasn't technically involved in the result, he still feels as he's entitled to this title shot, and he's not entirely wrong, especially given both of these individual's history with one another, dating back all the way to 2018. With that said, Jay White made his way out from behind the curtain first, and before his presence was even visible, an ovation of boos would echo throughout the arena, which simply didn't faze him, once he officially began to make his entrance. Continuing his descent down the entrance ramp, and then into the ring, his patience began to rapidly increase, as he desperately wanted to once again get his hands on The Rainmaker. His wish was Okada's command it seems, as the champion's theme almost immediately hit, signaling Okada's arrival into Osaka-jō Hall, where he was graciously greeted with an ovation of cheers.

However, unsurprisingly Okada had his eyes on the prize, and more importantly, on The Switchblade. He's well aware of what occurred the last time he didn't do such a thing, but that was undoubtedly the past, but now being in the present, he quickly begins to enter the ring, and instead of interacting with the faithful crowd, he hands NJPW's top title to the official in charge, and heads to his individual corner. After a few moments had passed, the opening bell would finally sound, which prompted both competitors to make their way out of the opposite corners, and to begin circling around the squared circle. Attempting to feel eachother out, simply refusing to engage in a physical altercation immediately, the tension is eventually met with a lock-up between the two, as an early advantage is attempted by each of them. While it takes a bit longer than expected by either individual, Okada is able to gain the upper-hand, as he pushes White over to the nearest set of ropes, but instead of striking his opposition as one may expect, he instead places both of his palms across White's chest.

This example of mockery isn't appreciated by the challenger, who reverses Okada, and leans him against the ropes this time around, and proceeds to irish-whip him into the nearest corner, which prompts him to attempt for a RUNNING EUROPEAN UPPERCUT INTO THE CORNER...BUT TO AVAIL! Fortunately for Okada, he's able to move out of the way in the nick of time, which results in White getting stuck in the corner instead, which prompts a smirk from The Rainmaker. In order to not waste this opportunity, HE SUCCESSFULLY LANDS A RUNNING ELBOW SMASH INTO THE CORNER, WHICH STUNS WHITE! Having no other choice, his body movements lead him to moving up a few inches, which is almost immediately noticed by Okada, WHO FOLLOWS UP WITH A QUICKLY EXECUTED DDT! 1...2...KICKOUT! THE FIRST PINFALL ATTEMPT OF THIS CONTEST IS UNSUCCESSFUL, AS WHITE IS ABLE TO KICKOUT JUST IN TIME, KEEPING HIS SHOT AT NJPW'S TOP PRIZE ALIVE AND WELL!

Knowing quite well that this wouldn't put away White just yet, he proceeded to lift him up to a vertical base, and ATTEMPTED FOR A DASTARDLY NECKBREAKER...BUT WHITE IS ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY COUNTER IT, WITH NONE OTHER THAN A BEAUTIFUL SAITO SUPLEX! With the champion finally put down for the time being, a smirk now comes across the face of the challenger, who now hoists up Okada, with his facial expression refusing to change in the slightest, AS HE ATTEMPTED FOR A URANAGE...BUT OKADA JUMPS OVER AND SOMEHOW LOCKS IN THE MONEY CLIP! An audible gasp is heard from the Osaka faithful, as White struggles to breathe in any capacity, and seems to be on the verge of passing out, but a last ditch effort by the challenger leads him to reaching the nearest set of ropes! Not feeling satisfied with his efforts, Okada attempts to pull his challenger back to the center of the ring, but in trying to do so, White is able to counter it with a combination of elbow smashes, which undoubtedly causes the champion to back up a couple of inches, more specifically, near the ropes.

Now rising up to a vertical base, he charges towards The Rainmaker, ATTEMPTING FOR A LARIAT, BUT OKADA CATCHES HIM WITH A DROPKICK! Almost immediately after connecting with this maneuver, he begins to scale up to the top rope, AND LOOKS FOR AN ELBOW DROP...AND IT SUCCESSFULLY CONNECTS! Refusing to attempt for the pinfall just yet, Okada instead looks to find the conclusion to this matchup altogether, as he then picks up White by just the waist, and once they are both up to a vertical base, OKADA ATTEMPTS FOR A RAINMAKER...BUT WHITE IS ABLE TO COUNTER IT WITH A BLADE RUNNNER! However, unfortunately for Jay White, his exhaustion begins to kick in, which leads to him not being able to attempt for a pinfall, but instead allows him to only make a recovery along with his opposition. As the challenger finally rises back up to his feet, he quickly realizes that the champion has yet to do the same, which ends up making him transition into a CROSSFACE ATTEMPT! Having it tightly locked in, White begins to desperately wrench Okada's throat back-and-forth, but somehow, Okada is able to counter it, escaping the hold entirely, which couldn't have been easy.

Returning to his feet after this, he awaits for Okada to do the same, before GRABBING AHOLD OF OKADA'S ARM, AND PULLING HIM IN FOR A LARIAT! Now able to take the champion fully down, White begins to call for Okada to return to a vertical base, and once he does, HE ATTEMPTS FOR THE CONCLUSION OF THIS CONTEST, WITH THAT BEING A BLADERUNNER, BUT OKADA IS ABLE TO COUNTER IT ENTIRELY! Seemingly able to escape The Switchblade's grip, and instead gains the upper-hand, before CONNECTING WITH A SPINNING TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER! After this, he begins to spread his arms out wide for the world to see, proceeding to scream at the top of his lungs, which can only mean one thing - the end of this contest. He positions himself from behind White, and lifts him up from that area, as he then FINALLY CONNECTS WITH A RAINMAKER...BUT HE ISN'T DONE AS HE PROCEEDS TO LAND YET ANOTHER ONE, GOING TO SHOW THAT HE KNOWS WHITE ALL TOO WELL! 1...2...3...! OKADA RETAINS FOR A SECOND TIME, AND HEADS TO THE ANNIVERSARY SHOW!

Kazuchika Okada (c) def. Jay White via Pinfall (29:45)