Chris Jericho Vs. Kenny Omega Rated 5 Stars By Dave Meltzer
The Wrestle Kingdom 12 match certainly impressed.
Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega's match at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12 has been awarded five stars by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer.
The pair wrestled in the penultimate slot of the Tokyo Dome card, behind Kazuchika Okada and Tetsuya Naito's IWGP Heavyweight Championship showdown.
The match was for Omega's IWGP United States Championship, a new belt established midway through 2017. He won the match, and is still the only champion since the title's inception.
The bout received near-universal acclaim, with many expressing amazement at Jericho's continued ability to wrestle at such a high level, even at the age of 47. Omega's performance was also highly praised, but came as less of a surprise. He is widely considered one of the best wrestlers in the world today. The chemistry the pair displayed, however, has caught many off guard.
The match was a hugely-hyped one since its announcement, as few expected such an established WWE Superstar as Jericho to return to NJPW. His appearance is thought to have generated far more interest in Wrestle Kingdom than prior years, especially with non-Japanese fans.
Meltzer's rating makes Jericho vs. Omega the highest-rated match of Wrestle Kingdom 12, even more than the main event, which received 4.5. The second highest-rated was actually the four-way IWGP Junior Heavyweight title bout between Marty Scurll, Will Ospreay, KUSHIDA, and Hiromu Takahashi - earning 4.75.
The other matches on the card were rated thusly:
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jay White - 3.75
Minoru Suzuki vs. Hirooki Goto - 4.5
Killer Elite Squad vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon - 4
Kota Ibushi vs. Cody - 4.25
Roppongi 3K vs. The Young Bucks - 4
New Japan Rumble (pre-show) - 1.5
The Never Openweight Six-Man Gauntlet wasn't given an overall rating by Meltzer, but instead rated section by section.
Looking ahead, Jericho's next big feud appears to be with Tetsuya Naito. Y2J jumped him at New Year Dash (NJPW's equivalent of the Raw after WrestleMania), after weeks of back-and-forth on social media.
The pair wrestled in the penultimate slot of the Tokyo Dome card, behind Kazuchika Okada and Tetsuya Naito's IWGP Heavyweight Championship showdown.
The match was for Omega's IWGP United States Championship, a new belt established midway through 2017. He won the match, and is still the only champion since the title's inception.
The bout received near-universal acclaim, with many expressing amazement at Jericho's continued ability to wrestle at such a high level, even at the age of 47. Omega's performance was also highly praised, but came as less of a surprise. He is widely considered one of the best wrestlers in the world today. The chemistry the pair displayed, however, has caught many off guard.
The match was a hugely-hyped one since its announcement, as few expected such an established WWE Superstar as Jericho to return to NJPW. His appearance is thought to have generated far more interest in Wrestle Kingdom than prior years, especially with non-Japanese fans.
Meltzer's rating makes Jericho vs. Omega the highest-rated match of Wrestle Kingdom 12, even more than the main event, which received 4.5. The second highest-rated was actually the four-way IWGP Junior Heavyweight title bout between Marty Scurll, Will Ospreay, KUSHIDA, and Hiromu Takahashi - earning 4.75.
The other matches on the card were rated thusly:
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jay White - 3.75
Minoru Suzuki vs. Hirooki Goto - 4.5
Killer Elite Squad vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon - 4
Kota Ibushi vs. Cody - 4.25
Roppongi 3K vs. The Young Bucks - 4
New Japan Rumble (pre-show) - 1.5
The Never Openweight Six-Man Gauntlet wasn't given an overall rating by Meltzer, but instead rated section by section.
Looking ahead, Jericho's next big feud appears to be with Tetsuya Naito. Y2J jumped him at New Year Dash (NJPW's equivalent of the Raw after WrestleMania), after weeks of back-and-forth on social media.
Written by Jack King
jack.king@cultaholic.com Twitter: @JackTheJobber