Kazuchika Okada Crowned Undisputed IWGP World Heavyweight Champion

Kazuchika Okada has become the undisputed IWGP World Heavyweight Champion after defeating Will Ospreay to retain his newly-won title at Night 2 of Wrestle Kingdom 16.

In the main event of the second night of NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 16, Okada emerged victorious for the second time in two nights. On Night 1, ‘The Rainmaker’ dethroned Shingo Takagi to become the fourth IWGP World Heavyweight Champion before setting his sights on Will Ospreay, who has spent the last few months claiming he is the ‘real’ World Heavyweight Champion as he relinquished it due to injury in 2021 rather than losing it in a match.

During an intense 32 minutes, the two men took each other to the limit but Okada was eventually able to overcome ‘The Assassin’. After taking a moonsault off the arena scaffolding, a huge sit-out powerbomb, and even kicking out from a Hidden Blade, Okada caught Ospreay with a decisive Rainmaker to prove himself to be the undisputed IWGP World Heavyweight Champion.

https://twitter.com/njpwworld/status/1478704557526229005

After the bout, Okada paid respect to his opponent, saying that although he was the real champion, Ospreay was the real deal. As he made a speech to close the show, Tetsuya Naito made his way to the ring and staked his claim to a future match with Okada for his title, a challenge which Okada quickly accepted.

While two nights at the Tokyo Dome have come and gone, there’s still one final night of Wrestle Kingdom 16 to come. On January 8th, the stars of NJPW and Pro Wrestling NOAH will do battle in the Yokohama Arena in a special ‘New Japan vs NOAH’ event.

You can find our full preview of Wrestle Kingdom 16 Night 3 here.