Kenny Omega wins the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in grueling hour-plus match

We had one Canadian win a title at NJPW Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-Jo Hall today (for full results, check here), and now we have two Canadian champions!

The first fall was largely Omega’s story, dominating early after countering Okada’s trademark crossbody over the barricade with a wicked V-Trigger, but the champion kept his head in the fight, avoided One-Winged Angel with almost obsessed dedication (and some help from a dropkick that sent Kenny rib-first into the barricade), and eventually was able to take it reversing a Rainmaker reversal into a rana pin.

The second fall was largely the reverse, starting slow with Okada in charge, grinding Omega down, but Kenny is able to carve increasingly large openings through a double stomp through a table, a Poison Frankensteiner, and at last escaping a rana pin of the same kind that won the first fall and hitting One-Winged Angel to even the score.

The third fall was where things really, truly became great, with both men absolutely spent and digging deep for their last reserves of energy, both trying and failing to hit their finishers despite having clear openings to do so, so worn down were they. But eventually, after a snap One-Winged Angel where the Rainmaker was able to get the ropes, one more classical-style one was enough to end Kazuchika’s record-breaking title reign at long last.

All-in-all, the match ran just over an hour and was the kind of epic that everyone was expecting, although of course personal tastes may vary.

After the match, the Young Bucks came to the ring and Kenny made a point of having a group hug with them and Kota Ibushi before even accepting the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. He then cut a show-closing promo, mentioning that every day people tell him he’s not the best, to play it safe, to stay calm and be tranquilo, but that’s not his way. He makes his own rules, lives life the way he wants, with his friends and lovers by his side, and that way he can do anything.

Tranquilo is, of course, an interesting choice of words and could point to Tetsuya Naito moving on from his loss to Chris Jericho by challenging for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, but a more direct challenge made itself known before the show closed-- Cody Rhodes made his way about halfway down the ramp before deciding he’d rather not do whatever it was he was thinking about tonight.

There you have it, folks

Kenny Omega is your IWGP Heavyweight Champion. Excited, Cagesiders?