NJPW's 50th Anniversary Show

Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiromu Takahashi - Champion vs. Champion Match

For the last 50 years, New Japan Pro Wrestling has provided some of the finest professional wrestling in the world, and while many have come and gone, these two individuals have stuck around. In our main event this evening, as per tradition, both the IWGP World and Junior Heavyweight Champions will go one-on-one, seemingly giving both of them an opportunity to prove their worth, and a chance to represent their individual belts. Out from the back first comes Hiromu Takahashi, who was able to dethrone El Desperado at WrestleKingdom to earn his fifth title reign, which led him to this very contest with The Rainmaker. Unsurprisingly, Hiromu made his way towards the ring in an eccentric manner, but it was quite obvious that he held his belt with an immense amount of proud, which is why once he entered the squared circle, a sense of determination began to flicker in both of his eyes. With that said, his opposition wouldn't make him wait very long, as Okada began to walk out from behind the curtain, with the crowd finally behind him, he too had a ray of confidence to back him.

Continuing his journey towards the ring, with his customized bills falling from the ceiling, he eventually proceeded to join Hiromu where he stands, as the two began to simultaneously hold up their championships, proudly showcasing what they've both earned back in early January. However, with this matchup having to get started, the official prompted both individuals to their respective corners, where the opening bell officially rings. Upon this occurring, Hiromu didn't want to waste anytime in going on the offense, AS HE'S OFF TO THE RACES, LANDING A QUICK LARIAT INTO THE CORNER, WHICH STUNS OKADA AND BRINGS HIM RIGHT DOWN TO A SEATED POSITION! Not looking to let this opportunity seemingly go to waste, he begins to lift up Okada from the corner, where he then looks for a quite early conclusion of this match, AS HE ATTEMPTS FOR A TIME BOMB...BUT OKADA IS ABLE TO SLIP OUT IN THE NICK OF TIME, AND ROLLS OUT OF THE RING! Noticing this almost immediately, Hiromu follows him out there, where the two begin to engage in a back-and-forth endeavor, with both attempting to exhaust the other, to make it easier on them.

However, as one may expect, this isn't an easy task in the slightest, but eventually Okada is able to send Hiromu to both of his knees, which prompts him to irish-whip his opposition into the farthest steel barricade, and with that, a huge thud can be heard echoing throughout the arena, with the Junior Heavyweight Champion screaming in agony. Noticing this almost immediately, he steps a few inches forward, BEFORE RUNNING TOWARDS THE BARRICADE, AND CONNECTING WITH A BIG BOOT UPON HIROMU, WHICH ENDS UP SENDING HIM OVER IT AND ONTO THE FLOOR! However, he isn't done just yet, as he runs back to where he once was, and awaits for his opponent to rise back to his feet, WHERE HE THEN RETURNS TO HIROMU...AND LANDS A CROSSBODY OVER THE BARRICADE! With both men down, the official had begun to count moments ago, and with neither man wanting to attempt a draw on one of NJPW's biggest events to date, they would return to the ring in mere seconds. Upon doing so, the two returned to their feet and returned to battle.

Attempting to further weaken his opponent, Okada begins to land a combination of forearms, which he expected to weaken Hiromu quite a bit, but it seemed to only strengthen him. Which is exactly why he began to fire back with some of his own, which began to stun Okada, due to Hiromu simply not letting up on his strikes, and eventually upon putting the Heavyweight Champion down to his knees, HE WOULD FOLLOW UP WITH AN IMPROMPTU FALCON ARROW! 1...2...KICKOUT! KNOWING HOW IMPORTANT NOT JUST THIS EVENT, BUT THIS MATCH IS...OKADA IS ABLE TO SURVIVE! Refusing to sit idly by and waste a chance to follow up, Hiromu lifts up Okada once again, proceeding to ATTEMPT FOR A DYNAMITE PLUNGER, BUT THE RAINMAKER IS ABLE TO SOMEHOW SLIP OUT AND LAND A HEAVY RAIN INSTEAD! A smirk comes across the face of Okada, his confidence obviously starting to beam as a result of what just occurred, which is what leads him to attempting for the pinfall.

Second guessing himself though, he decides to pick up Hiromu instead, AND ATTEMPTS FOR A SHORT-ARM LARIAT, BUT HIROMU DUCKS UNDER, AND CONNECTS WITH A SUPERKICK! Finally having Okada in the palm of his hands, he proceeded to lift him up once more, AND ON THE SECOND ATTEMPT, HE LANDS A DYNAMITE PLUNGER! 1...2...KICKOUT! OKADA ONCE AGAIN SURVIVES THE PINFALL ATTEMPT, AND HIROMU BEGINS TO SHOW A SENSE OF FRUSTRATION! Wanting to conclude this contest before it's too late, Hiromu once again lifts up the Heavyweight Champion, and this time around, he ATTEMPTS FOR A TIME BOMB, BUT JUST LIKE EARLIER, OKADA IS ABLE TO SLIP OUT! With that, he doesn't waste a single moment before returning to the attack, as he grabs ahold of the Heavyweight, and begins to muster him up for a successful AIR RAID CRASH, SIMPLY TARGETING THE NECK! 1...2...KICKOUT! HIROMU IS ABLE TO SURVIVE, BUT OKADA ISN'T DONE JUST YET, AS HE BEGINS TO SCALE UP TO THE TOP ROPE...WHICH COULD ONLY MEAN ONE THING!

He waits for a few seconds, before CONNECTING WITH A TOP ROPE ELBOW DROP! After successfully landing this maneuver, he begins to spread his arms out wide, while screaming out at the top of his lungs, similar to all of his prior contests. Once he finishes this action, he lifts up Hiromu from his behind position, AND ATTEMPTS TO PUT HIM AWAY, WITH NONE OTHER THAN A RAINMAKER...BUT HIROMU IS ABLE TO SOMEHOW FIGHT OUT OF IT, AND LOOKS FOR ONE LAST ATTEMPT AT THE TIME BOMB, BUT SIMPLY TO NO AVAIL! As Okada is able to slip out and CONNECT WITH A SPINNING TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER, WHICH ABSOLUELY TAKES HIROMU OUT OF IT FOR THE MOMENT! With that said, Okada once again picks up his opposition, AND THIS TIME, HE FINALLY LANDS A RAINMAKER! 1...2...KICKOUT! OKADA WALKS OUT OF THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY WITH THE VICTORY, AND AFTER ALL OF THIS, IT SEEMS AS THE RAINMAKER IS MERE UNSTOPPABLE!

Kazuchika Okada def. Hiromu Takahashi via Pinfall (23:00)

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New Japan Cup 2022 Finals

SANADA vs. Will Ospreay - New Japan Cup Finals

32 competitors entered this prestigious tournament, and by the end of it, only two of them have remained in it. Both SANADA and Will Ospreay have gone through some of New Japan's finest, and with only one obstacle left for each of them, it's all up to them to come out on top, noone else is responsible for their actions going forward, besides themselves. The finals of the New Japan Cup goes around 29 minutes, with both of them proving to be worthy to be in this spot, honestly no doubt about it. As we get around to the conclusion of this matchup, OSPREAY ATTEMPTS FOR A HIDDEN BLADE TO A KNEELING SANADA, WHO IS ABLE TO DUCK UNDER AND LAND A DROPKICK! With Ospreay now admittedly stunned, HE PROCEEDS TO LOCK IN A SKULL END! As Okada begins to lose his abiliy to breath, he begins to fade away, which prompts SANADA to let him go, AND THEN SCALE UP TO THE TOP ROPE, BEFORE CONNECTING WITH A MOONSAULT! 1...2...3...! SANADA FINALLY WINS THE NEW JAPAN CUP, AND GOES ONTO FACE OKADA FOR THE TITLE, FOR A SECOND TIME IN HIS CAREER!

SANADA def. Will Ospreay via Pinfall (29:05)

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Sakura Genesis 2022

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

With a month passing since Kazuchika Okada's victory at NJPW's 50th Anniversary Show, his plan to conquer all of the LIJ members who dare to step up to him, with his end goal being none other than, Tetsuya Naito! However, on this night, he looks to defend his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship a third time, this time against a familiar rival, as he goes one-on-one with the NJC 2022 winner, SANADA. Speaking of the aforementioned individual, in just mere moments, he begins to make his way out from the back, where he's almost immediately greeted with an ovation of cheers by the New Japan faithful. Similar to Hiromu last month, the Cold Skull begins to showcase a sense of confidence, mostly due to his victory earlier this year at WrestleKingdom. Upon eventually entering the ring, he motions for the champion to make his presence known, and in just a matter of seconds, his wish is Okada's command. As he walks out from behind the curtain, the world is firmly behind him, which isn't surprising.

For months it has seemed as Okada has been transforming back to his 2017 self, seemingly putting forth some of his finest performances in ages, and by each day, his confidence continues to grow. He continues his descent down the entrance ramp, and as he looks directly behind him, he witnesses his customized bills falling down right near him, which doesn't distract him. Instead, he shares a slight smirk, before entering the ring, and almost immediately hands his most prized possession to the official in charge. A few moments end up passing, before both individuals back up into their respective corners, as they await for the opening bell to officially sound, and in just a matter of seconds, it does just that. This unique sound, prompts both of them to meet in the center of the ring, and engage in a lock-up, where they unsurprisingly look for an early advantage in this contest. After much struggle between two of New Japan's finest, SANADA is able to gain the advantage, which leads him to locking Okada in a nasty headlock, which gives him the opportunity to showcase his strength.

He began to wrench Okada's neck back-and-forth, looking to eventually bring him down to the canvas, but the champion simply wouldn't allow it, as he rolled through, and tossed SANADA to the side, which resulted in him scooting back to the corner, and hoisting himself back up to a vertical position. Attempting to gain his breath again, Okada doesn't let him do so, AS HE CHARGES OVER TO HIM...AND QUICKLY CONNECTS WITH A RUNNING BACK ELBOW IN THE CORNER! As a result of this, SANADA falls to both of his knees, but knowing fully well that he must continue the attack, Okada hoists up his opposition, AND ATTEMPTS FOR A DDT, BUT SANADA ESCAPES OKADA'S GRIP, AND LANDS A SAITO SUPLEX IN RETALIATION! For the first time in this contest, a pinfall attempt would be seen, as he looked to become IWGP Heavyweight Champion for the first time in his career. 1...2...KICKOUT! NOT YET, AS OKADA IS ABLE TO STAY ALIVE IN THIS ONE, WHICH DOESN'T SHOCK SANADA ONE BIT!

However, even though he isn't shocked, he's still quite focused on the task at hand, as he begins to once again hoist up his opposition, and transitions over to his opponent's back, AND PROCEEDS TO ATTEMPT FOR A GERMAN SUPLEX, BUT OKADA BEGINS TO FIGHT OUT OF IT, LANDING NUMEROUS BACK ELBOWS TO SANADA'S JAW, WHICH FORCES HIM TO LET GO OF HIS GRIP! Once he's free of The Cold Skull's hold, he switches up his gameplan, as he begins to hammer down with numerous forearm smashes, in hopes of bringing SANADA down to the canvas, or atleast to a knee, which he ends up doing. Okada has always had power behind his arsenal, and this is simply another example of that, as his opposition would end up falling down to both of his knees, and with that, he proceeded to grab his opponent's head, AND THEN SLAMMED IT RIGHT BACK DOWN HEAD-FIRST INTO THE CANVAS WITH A DEVASTATING DDT! 1...2...KICKOUT! SANADA IS STILL IN THIS ONE, HIS HOPES ARE STILL ALIVE!

Just like previous battles, Okada is able to remain calm, and keep his attention focused on the task at hand, which is what led him to hoisting up SANADA once again, and ATTEMPTS FOR A HEAVY RAIN, BUT SANADA IS ABLE TO SNEAKILY ESCAPE THE MANEUVER, AND PROCEEDED TO LAND A DROPKICK TO THE BACK OF OKADA'S SKULL! This almost immediately put down The Rainmaker, which gives him the incentive to quickly attempt to lock in THE SKULL END...AND IN THE CENTER OF THE RING, OKADA SEEMS TO BE ON THE VERGE OF PASSING OUT! However, as this seems to be the case, a tradition of SANADA's is showcased, where he proceeds to let go of the hold, where he now begins to scale up to the top rope, AND CONNECTS WITH A MOONSAULT FROM OFF THE TOP! 1...2...KICKOUT! Once again, Okada is able to stay in this one, but that doesn't seem to matter, as SANADA is right back on the attack, and looks to LOCK IN THE COLD SKULL ONCE AGAIN, THIS TIME HOPING FOR A BETTER RESULT! He begins to wrench the champion's neck back-and-forth, and to good effect.

Once again, Okada begins to weak, and his ability to breath continues to dwindle, which once again increases SANADA's confidence. Once he feels as Okada has passed out for a second time, he looks to let go of his deadly grip, but it would be revealed that he wasn't knocked all the way out, which is why he countered it, AND PROCEEDED TO LAND A HEAVY RAIN! 1...2...KICKOUT! SANADA IS STILL IN THIS ONE, AND ABLE TO ONCE AGAIN KEEP HIS HOPES AND DREAMS FULLY ALIVE! However, Okada simply wasn't done just yet, as he picked up his opposition, and this time around, HE WENT FOR THE SPINNING TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER, WHICH HE ENDED UP CONNECTING WITH! Feeling as this was certainly the moment of truth, he went to lift up his adversary for possibly the final time, AND LANDED A RAINMAKER FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THIS CONTEST, AND MOST LIKELY THE LAST! 1...2...3...! FOR THE THIRD TIME, OKADA HAS BEEN ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY DEFEND HIS CHAMPIONSHIP! With Wrestling Dontaku now on the horizon, it raises the important question - who will be his fourth?

Kazuchika Okada def. SANADA via Pinfall (27:00)

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Wrestling Dontaku 2022

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

For the past several months, almost the entirety of LIJ has attempted to either dethrone Kazuchika Okada, or embarrass him on one of New Japan's most historic events in it's rich history. However, all of them ended up failing to do so, which clearly only leaves the aforementioned stable's leader, in the form of Tetsuya Naito! Speaking of which, the latter makes his way out from the back, where there seems to be a mixed reaction from New Japan's faithful, but as well all could expect by now, he remains tranquilo, while continuing his descent down the entrance ramp. Eventually, he makes it into the squared circle, where he doesn't waste a single moment in motioning for the champion to meet him inside of it, and in just a matter of moments, his wish is undeniably granted. As Okada's theme begins to play over the PA System, and for the first time in months, Okada seems to walk into a title defense with a sense of doubt, and while it may not be much, it's certainly noticeable.

There isn't any elaborate entrance for the champion this evening, as he knows exactly what Naito is capable of, and isn't willing to distract himself, mostly due to the battles both of these individuals have been through in the years prior to this outing. He simply begins to walk down the entrance ramp, and into the ring, where he proceeds to hand off his most cherished object to the official in charge of this contest, with that being none other than, the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship! Upon finishing this action, both of the competitors involved in this title match, are prompted to head to their respective corners, and once they do, the opening bell would officially sound. Without any of the slightest bit of hesitation from either of them, they simultaneously head to the center of the ring, where they proceed to engage in a lock-up, seemingly looking for an advantage early on in this one. They began to tug back-and-forth, clearly looking for an opening, which eventually leads to Okada gaining the upper-hand, and begins to weaken Naito's skull with several back elbows.

After the combination concludes, the power behind Okada's elbow strikes seems to be useful, as Naito falls down to one knee, which amuses the champion in more than one way. Not looking to bring him down that way though, he proceeds to lift up Naito by his chin, and begins to LAND SEVERAL FOREARMS TO NAITO'S CHIN, WHICH STUNS THE LATTER, AND HAS NO OTHER CHOICE BUT TO BACK UP A COUPLE OF INCHES! As he does this, Okada doesn't seem to let up, and looks for an irish-whip to the nearest set of ropes, and as Naito rebounds off of them, THE CHAMPION ATTEMPTS FOR A BIG BOOT, BUT SANADA IS LUCKILY ABLE TO CATCH HIS LEG, AND LAND A DRAGON SCREW! Okada begins to scream out in agony, but El Ingobernable is able to counter with A TORNADO DDT FROM SEEMINGLY OUT OF NOWWHERE! As an act of surprise, Naito looks for the first pinfall attempt of this contest, and possible yet another world title run in his career...1...2...KICKOUT!

Unsurprisingly, Okada has managed to kickout of Naito's attempt, but that certainly doesn't mean that this will be the only one, because if there's anything we've learned from Naito over the years, it's that, he doesn't make the same mistake twice. Which is what leads him to hoisting up the champion, and proceeds to send him into the nearest corner, AND LOOKS TO CHARGE AT HIM, BUT ONCE HE'S MERE INCHES AWAY FROM THE TARGET, OKADA IS ABLE TO CATCH NAITO'S LEFT LEG, AND PUSHES IT AWAY, SEEMINGLY CONNECTING WITH A DDT IN RETALIATION! Knowing fully well that this wouldn't put away his adversary away just yet, he decided to lift up Naito once more, AND ATTEMPTED FOR AN EARLY AIR RAID CRASH, BUT NAITO IS ABLE TO SNEAKILY ESCAPE THE SIGNATURE MANEUEVER, AND COUNTERS IT WITH AN ENZUIGIRI! This almost immediately takes Okada down to the canvas, which prompts Naito to back up into the corner, and motions for Okada to rise up to a vertical base.

As he ends up following the specific command, NAITO ATTEMPTS FOR THE RUNNING DESTINO, BUT OKADA IS ABLE TO CATCH HIM, AND PROCEEDS TO DROP HIM RIGHT UPON HIS HEAD! Refusing to go for the pinfall attempt, he lifts up Naito to both of his feet, where HE GOES FOR A VINTAGE OKADA MANEUVER...WHICH IS NONE OTHER THAN, A SPINNING TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER, BUT NAITO REVERSES IT INTO A DESTINO, BUT NOT A FULL ONE! Knowing quite well, that he had to finish Okada off, and more specifically, with the full maneuver, it became quite clear, that this is what he had planned as his next plan as apart of this contest. He awaited for the champion to hoist himself back up to a vertical base, and once he did, HE WOULD ATTEMPT FOR A FULL DESTINO, BUT OKADA CAUGHT HIM AND TRANSITIONED INTO A SUCCESSFUL SPINNING TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER! 1...2...KICKOUT! SOMEHOW, OKADA STILL ISN'T ABLE TO GET IT DONE, AND NAITO SURVIVES FOR THE TIME BEING!

As is tradition for many of his prior matchups, Okada begins to scream out at the top of his lungs, and proceeds to put his arms out, spreading them wide for the world to see. He then proceeds to hoist up his opposition, AND ATTEMPTS FOR A RAINMAKER...BUT NAITO IS FINALLY ABLE TO COUNTER IT WITH A DESTINOOOOOOOOOO! 1...2...KICKOUT! STILL THIS SEEMS TO NOT BE ENOUGH, AS OKADA HAS KICKED OUT OF NAITO'S MOST DEVESTATING MOVE IN HIS ENTIRE ARSENAL! A sense of frustration began to visibly show for Naito, who didn't really know what to attempt next, but he thought he might have to go big, specifically the exact maneuver that put away The Rainmaker a little over two years ago at WrestleKingdom 14. However, as he began to scale the top rope for a STARDUST PRESS, OKADA GOT UP JUST IN TIME, TO STOP HIS OPPOSITION AND PULL HIM BACK DOWN TO THE CANVAS! Attempting to fight back, Naito looked to charge towards the ropes, but as he ended up rebounding off of them, HE WAS INEVITABLY CAUGHT WITH A DROPKICK! Completely stunning him from here, Okada ended up hosting him up from off the canvas, AND EVENTUALLY CONNECTING WITH A RAINMAKER! 1...2...3...! OKADA OVERCOMES ONE OF HIS MOST FIERCE RIVALS, AND IN THE PROCCESS, HE'S ABLE TO RETAIN NJPW'S TOP TITLE FOR A FOURTH TIME!

Kazuchika Okada (c) def. Tetsuya Naito via Pinfall (28:10)

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After overcoming most of LIJ, The Rainmaker stands tall, and continues to showcase yet another fantastic IWGP World Heavyweight Championship run. As he's handed New Japan's top title, he proceeds to raise it up proudly, before the entire crowd's reactions begin to change drastically, which is showcased whenBRYAN DANIELSON ATTACKS OKADA FROM BEHIND! Coming from All Elite Wrestling, he finally meets Okada in a New Japan ring, BEFORE STRIKING HIM WITH A RUNNING KNEE! He proceeds to hold up one of the very few titles he's never captured, clearly making his intentions quite clear, and that's him wanting a shot at not only Okada, but the title he cherishes aswell.

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Dominion 6.5 (2022)

Kazuchika Okada vs. Bryan Danielson - IWGP World Heavyweight Championship

With the first half of the year not going the way he anticipated, it seems Bryan Danielson has decided to shift his focus, which was seen last month at Wrestling Dontaku, when he sent a message to the current IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, in the form of, Kazuchika Okada! A dream match of many has been set for this evening, all due to Bryan's clear jealousy of the Japanese star's success, but if he can back up his dastardly actions with a title victory tonight, that very thought process might blow up into smoke in a matter of moments. Without furtherado, Bryan Danielson's theme begins to play over the PA System, but it isn't able to be heard as clear as one may imagine, mostly due to how it's overshadowed by the immense number of boos by the New Japan faithful. Similar to back in the states, Bryan's shift in attitude hasn't been welcomed in the slightest. However, as one may expect, Danielson absolutely adores this, and takes in all of the negativity on his way towards the ring.

Continuing his journey towards the aforementioned location, he eventually enters the squared circle, and motions for the champion to do the same, and in a matter of moments, the familiar theme began to hit, which only meant one thing, The Rainmaker was seconds away from entering the arena from behind the curtain. Eventually, he made his presence quite visible, and proceeded to make his descent down the entrance ramp, but yet again his eccentric-self seemed to be dissolving, and all that he could end up focusing on, was his attacker from just a little over a month ago, in the form of Bryan Danielson! Upon eventually entering the ring, he proceeded to hand over his championship, and headed over to his individual corner, as so did his opposition this evening, with both competitors awaiting for the unique sound of the opening bell to begin ringing. After a few moments had ended up passing, it would eventually end up doing so, and with that said, they were off! Proceeding to meet in the center of the ring, the two weren't shy in letting their feelings of one another become public, seemingly starting off this contest with no physical altercations, but instead just classic trash talk.

This occurs for a few seconds, before the two begin to engage in a lock-up, where they both attempt to gain the early advantage, and after a bit of struggle, Okada is able to gain the upper-hand, as he locks in a headlock upon his opposition, proceeding to crank it back-and-forth. Knowing quite well of Danielson's history in neck issues, he looks to go directly for that body part next, but sensing Okada's presence near his fragile neck, he proceeds to reverse the champion's attempts, and sends him into the nearest corner by an irish-whip, where he charges at him, with what seems to be a RUNNING DROPKICK, BUT RIGHT AT THE LAST MINUTE, HE DECIDES TO STOP HIMSELF AND INSTEAD SLAP OKADA RIGHT ACROSS THE FACE! This clear sign of disrespect won't be tolerated, especially not by Okada, who starts to race Bryan to the outside, as they both begin to circle around the ringside area. Eventually, Danielson returns to the ring, hoping to have a sense of safety, and as Okada returns into it with him, DANIELSON LANDS A DISCUS FOREARM, AND PROCEEDS TO LAND A DOUBLE UNDERHOOK FLOATED INTO A CROSS ARMBREAKER! THIS COULD BE IT FOR OKADA!

Having the submission attempt now locked in, he began to wrench the champion's arm back-and-forth, beginning to scream at Okada to tap, but even with this showcase of demands, he refuses to follow Danielson's commands, and instead attempts to find his way out. After several moments had passed, the only way to escape the inhumane grip of The Rainmaker, was to crawl over to the ropes, and after a desperate attempt at doing so, HE WAS FINALLY ABLE TO MAKE IT! Danielson simply can't believe it, and his frustrations once again seem to be showing, which prompts him to continue on the attack, and steal Okada's gameplan, as he attempts to go after an injured body part aswell. Proceeding to turn the champion's body over to his stomach, he then slams his knees into the back of The Rainmaker, who has clearly had trouble with this specific area of his body in the past, more notably in the last year or so. As he finishes this action, he once again rolls Okada over, this time to his back, as he proceeds to grab ahold of both the champion's arms, AND THEN SLAMS HIS BOOT ACROSS OKADA'S SKULL REPEATEDLY! Over-and-over again he goes, as it seems The American Dragon could be getting quite close to being the one individual to dethrone The Rainmaker.

Having weakened Okada quite a bit, Danielson felt it could be possible to put him to sleep now, and with this being the best time as any, HE ENDED UP LOCKING IN THE DRAGON SLEEPER! Clinching it in real tight, he hoped to find the conclusion of this contest, and to do so by putting away one of New Japan's absolute finest, in a literal sense, and nothing but. However, as Okada seemed to be almost knocked out, the submission specialist looked to transition yet another one, as he looked for A CLASSIC CROSSFACE...BUT AS HE DID, OKADA BEGAN TO FIGHT BACK, HAMMERING DOWN WITH SEVERAL CONSECUTIVE BACK ELBOWS, DIRECTLY TARGETED AT THE SKULL OF DANIELSON! Having no other choice, mostly due to the pain his opposition just caused, he had to let go of his dastardly grip, and allow for space for the two competitors to be allowed. As the two eventually made it back to their feet, Danielson would attempt to position himself to Okada's back-side, but the latter was able to counter it into a BODYSLAM! With that said, Okada would now scale up to the top rope, and ATTEMPT FOR A TOP ROPE ELBOW DROP...IT CONNECTS! 1...2...KICKOUT!

The Rainmaker usually doesn't attempt for a pinfall after that maneuver, but it seems desperate times call for desperate measures this evening. However, with the champion feeling as Danielson might be fully out of it now, he seemingly has no hesitation in taking his shot, and attempting to retain his championship once again. Lifting his opponent up from behind, he then turns him around FOR A RAINMAKER ATTEMPT...BUT DANIELSON DUCKS UNDER, AND PROCEEDS TO LOCK IN A TRIANGLE CHOKE! OKADA COULE BE DONE FOR, AND HE MIGHT BE OUT! Keeping the hold tightly locked in, Danielson has no intention to let it go, which gives the champion no other option, but to lift himself up, AND ATTEMPT TO GET OUT OF IT! He's somehow able to make it to a vertical base, but Danielson still has the hold locked in, which gives Okada the incentive to then DROP HIM ON HIS HEAD! With the challenger simply knocked out, Okada proceeds to hoist him up from off the canvas, and FINISH HIM OFF WITH AN EXPOLOSIVE RAINMAKER! 1...2...3...! OKADA CONQUERS THE AMERICAN DRAGON!

Kazuchika Okada (c) def. Bryan Danielson via Pinfall (35:00)