Kazuchika Okada Wins IWGP World Heavyweight Title At NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 16

10 years to the day since his NJPW return match at Wrestle Kingdom 6, Kazuchika Okada leaves Wrestle Kingdom 16 as IWGP World Heavyweight Champion.

The Rainmaker challenged Shingo Takagi for the world title inside the Tokyo Dome today and although Shingo managed to hit Made In Japan, Last Of The Dragon and a Pumping Bomber, Okada kicked out of everything The Dragon threw at him.

Takagi later went for a second Pumping Bomber but Okada fired back with a Dropkick and he followed up with a Sit-Out Tombstone Piledriver and a second Rainmaker for the 1-2-3.

How long Okada is world champion remains to be seen, though, as he will defend the gold tomorrow against the self-proclaimed 'real' IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay on night two of Wrestle Kingdom 16.

Okada has been New Japan Pro-Wrestling's biggest star in recent years and he previously held the IWGP Heavyweight Championship five times over a combined 1790 days. He dropped the gold at Wrestle Kingdom 14 in 2020, though, and the title was later unified with the IWGP Intercontinental Championship to create the IWGP World Heavyweight Title in March 2021.

Okada carried the IWGP Heavyweight Title to the ring at Wrestle Kingdom to represent his G1 Climax 31 victory and following his win inside the Tokyo Dome, he bid farewell to the belt before Red Shoes Uno placed the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship around his waist.