VOW 2021 Match of the Year: #8 (Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay)

Four days into the year, Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay battle it out in one of 2021’s best matches.

2021 MATCH OF THE YEAR ARCHIVES

• Introduction & Honorable Mentions
• 100-76
• 75-51
• 50-26
• 25-11
• Top 10 Reveal/Audio Show ($)
• #10: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shingo Takagi
• #9: Thunder Rosa vs. Dr. Britt Baker

VOICES OF WRESTLING MATCH OF THE YEAR ARCHIVES

• 2020
• 2019
• 2018
• 2017
• 2016
• 2015
• 2014
• 2013
• 2012

#8
Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay
1/4
NJPW

Overall Points: 303
Total Votes: 49
% of Ballots: 27.8%
2 First Place Votes

“A masterclass which showed that Ospreay can deliver on the biggest of stages against a man in Okada who never phones it in.” -Joey O’Doherty

“Okada and Ospreay have fantastic chemistry with one another, and their Tokyo Dome match was an absolute barnburner unfortunately overshadowed by a year’s worth of matches that pulled the rug out from underneath this match.” -James “NuclearConvoy”

“NJPW did what NJPW does best and peaked early with their best match being at their first show of the year. Okada put to rest the ‘Is Okada washed?’ argument and went out there to prove to all those dummies that he’s still the best wrestler in the world.” -Ed Kody

“Some of the best wrestling sequences of 2021” -Sidney L. Pullar

“After spending the entire year stubbornly trying to win with the Money Clip, Okada put on another classic with burgeoning rival Will Ospreay in a Five-Star classic. The moment Ospreay beats Okada at the dome, we will look back to this match as the beginning of his journey.” -Tyler Forness

“The first great match of 2021. A match so good and so hard-hitting that it is one of the few instances that you forget the NJPW clap crowd and, hell, you even hear them gasp and awe. Ospreay was in full dick mode, and Okada had not done the Rainmaker in months successfully, so when he hits Ospreay, there is a sense of happiness.” -Abraham Delgado

“2020 I had the pleasure of attending the Tokyo Dome. 2021 I decided, what better way to watch then to wake up at 3am and watch the whole show live. Main reason for that insane body clock ruining plan was for this very match. I’m a huge fan of both guys and wanted to leave no risk of being spoiled of what was going to occur. In any other year this would probably be my match of the year. The quality of work was so high. I had absolute chills as the echos of these two men slapping the shit out of each other reverberated around the Tokyo Dome. In a time period where my interest in japanese wrestling was starting to wane due to lack of atmosphere, this match left me completely enthralled and wanting more. There was a bitterness to the match that felt real. It wasn’t just about the moves but largely the WHY? Ospreay being the cocky prick, feeling largely overlooked by his former stablemate. Okada getting a bit of redemption for all of Ospreay’s antics. I think the only thing that hurts this match, is it being toped 366 Days later. Absolutely phenomenal work, by two of the best wrestlers in the world.” -Chris Duarte

“This was my favorite match of the two nights of Wrestle Kingdom 15. It was another fantastic match in the Okada-Ospreay series, but it was more than just a friendly competition. This was a match simmering with hatred. The dynamic between Okada and Ospreay had always been big brother and little brother in CHAOS, but now you had a newly heel Ospreay, the leader of his own stable, who betrayed Okada and wanted to transcend him by beating him in the Tokyo Dome. So as the match went on, we saw this level of disdain between the two that we hadn’t seen before. Okada didn’t just want to beat Ospreay, he wanted to humble him. Ospreay didn’t just want to beat Okada, he wanted to stomp his face in; he wanted to humiliate Okada by beating him with his own Tombstone Piledriver and Rainmaker combo. But that was enough to push Okada out of his Money Clip obsession and finally break out the Rainmaker to put this little prick Ospreay back in his place. Wrestle Kingdom 15 was the first Wrestle Kingdom with a clap crowd, and while the atmosphere didn’t feel like it, this match was still a Wrestle Kingdom-level match. It’s no surprise that they would go on to have another one literally a year later.” -Andrew Rich

“While these 2 could likely have a classic match with each other in their sleep, they came together not just to put on a great match, but also to elevate the formerly junior heavyweight Ospreay into a credible heavyweight main event wrestler. Over the course of the 30 or so minutes these two went to work, we saw them achieve that elevation of Ospreay as a character while still doing all of the intricate and crowd-pleasing stuff you’d expect from these 2 masters of their craft.” -Liam Renner

“While Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay had faced off plenty of times before, this meeting in the Tokyo Dome on January 4th was under entirely different circumstances, as Ospreay turned on Okada a few months prior, and formed The United Empire. I was pretty excited to see this match at the time, and when the dust settled, it absolutely lived up to the hype. It sucks that this took place in front of a clap crowd, but even with that handicap, these two still managed to deliver an amazing back-and-forth encounter that featured some incredible moments throughout (including a particularly scary table spot on the floor). As you would expect, the closing stretch was nothing short of phenomenal, and in the end, Okada put away Ospreay with The Rainmaker in a very satisfying finish that saw Okada finally abandon The Money Clip in favor of ol’ reliable. An incredible bout that, in my view, was easily the best New Japan match of 2021.” -Sean Sedor

“Ospreay and Okada overshadowing the main event by putting on a better stuff. Ospreay still had some fancy moves but he mixed those with stiffness perfectly. I think thats what he should always do. Okada on the other hand felt alive after a disappointing 2020. It was the right time to bring back The Rainmaker. And he did it after Money Clip not working on Ospreay. That was one of the matches that really steals the show. The chemistry they have is amazing. Kazu and Will know each other very well. They never disappoint.” -Kaan Ünverdi

“Of course. These two had to knock it out of the park. That’s what was expected of them and they absolutely delivered to that standard. Not only did they have a great classic match but they were able to mix and incorporate some of the elements of their grudge feud in with it which isn’t easy to do. Okada started off like a rocket, hitting a relentless assault on Ospreay with his brutal running back elbow and then hitting a gorgeous tope con hilo. Okada’s main issues are his execution of certain things but none of that showed. He laid in his strikes, tightened up his ring position and brought his A-game. That and his amazing chemistry with Ospreay gave us an outstanding Okada performance. Ospreay brought it as well. He knew how to adapt to a heel style, slowing down the tempo after initially being overwhelmed but also adding enough flair and speed to his offence to keep it from being mundane. But what really impressed me was his selling for the closing stretch. It’s hard to sell as a heel because you could get sympathy but he didn’t come off like that. Ospreay came off like someone who wasn’t going to let a chance to overtake Okada, who plays into it by booting the shit out of the back of Ospreay’s head, slip. This match packed a lot in with a near 40 minutes run time, including a nailed-on suplex on the table, Bea Priestley being knocked off the apron by Okada via Ospreay, a plethora of suplexes and counter wrestling sequences that came off really well and fluid, etc. It also went a risky route of changing (slowing down) the match flow instead of ramping it up to tell the story and it executed it perfectly. It was a tremendously worked match that brought the restricted Dome crowd alive. A Dome classic.” -MC

“The RETURN of the Rainmaker!” -ItChEE

“Okada is the best in the world. No doubt.” -BJ Bethel

“This match was a true coming of age for Will Ospreay as a main-event player, and of course, Kazuchika Okada is in another stratosphere of talent – and the semi-main event of Wrestle Kingdom’s first night provided the pair a canvas to tell a story of friendship betrayed and sacrificed upon the altar of ambition. Will Ospreay had gotten the better of Okada when he formed his United Empire – but Okada had regrouped and was ready for revenge at the Tokyo Dome.

A match that was fueled by a deliciously rich story, and coupled with some of the best wrestling on planet Earth is more than most can hope for. But this match had a few minor issues preventing perfection. The crowd’s inability to engage, the ‘money-clip as a finisher’ story being a bit too prevalent, as well as just a smidge too-much ‘sameness’ that one can get from an Okada match were very minor critiques. However Okada’s victory didn’t satisfy, and felt like the wrong ending for a brilliant tale. This would only seem to be more the case as it would be Ospreay, not Okada, to receive the next opportunity at the IWGP World Heavyweight title, after this match.” -Reuel Castillo

“A fantastic match that helped jump Ospreay into a new echelon.” -J.D. Oliva

“Maybe the 2 best in the world do what they do: orchestrate a masterpiece.” -Jacob Nelson

“Will Ospreay’s rise through the heavyweight ranks of New Japan started by capturing the NEVER Title at WK 13 from Kota Ibushi and led him just two years later to the 1/4 Tokyo Dome semi-main event. Ospreay came into the match with a point to prove – that his victory against Ospreay in the G1 wasn’t only due to Bea Priestley and Great O-Khan. This was essentially a battle to determine who would theoretically be the top challenger to start 2021 off and they delivered an epic worthy of the Tokyo Dome.

With Bea Priestley by his side and both adorned in gold, Ospreay came off as a megastar and Okada managed to match his splendor with an entrance worthy of the main event. They did battle for over 30 minutes and flew through the air, went through a table and Okada even busted out an apron tombstone to try and beat Ospreay. Red Ink couldn’t do him in, and Ospreay landed a tombstone and Rainmaker combo of his own before falling to the Landslide and Rainmaker. The historical significance of this match being so great it was followed up on one year later only made this encounter better with hindsight.” -Jeremy Peeples

“Not only was this the best and most exciting chapter of the duo’s pulse-pounding rivalry, it surpassed any match held in the Tokyo Dome throughout 2021.” -Chuck Hodgin

“Similar to the Page vs. Omega feud, Okada vs. Ospreay was built on a fractured friendship. A lot of New Japan matches have a way of making time fly and it was hard to believe this one went 35 minutes. Even at that, I wouldn’t have complained had they tacked on ten more.” -Greg Parks

VOICES OF WRESTLING 2021 MATCH OF THE YEAR