NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12: Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho full video highlights

Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega competed in an instant pro wrestling classic at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12, and here are the highlights from the match.

For years, Chris Jericho has been one of the very best in professional wrestling. However, in recent years, a new face has emerged in New Japan Pro Wrestling, that of Kenny Omega. Of course, it would seem like a pipe dream that Jericho would ever return to NJPW to settle any kind of “who’s the best” argument with Omega. Yet, that was exactly what was in store for Wrestle Kingdom 12.

Y2J showed up after weeks of feuding with Omega on social media and attacked the IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion. From there, things only escalated and got more heated. Jericho claimed himself the Alpha of pro wrestling. Thus, the match was made for the Tokyo Dome between Alpha and Omega, Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho at Wrestle Kingdom 12 for the US belt. And, for good measure, there would be No Disqualifications for the match.

These two men wasted no time going right at it. Jericho wanted to get things started even before the bell rang, getting pulled back by the Young Lions at ringside. Once things calmed down momentarily though, and the bell did ring, it was on. The two men began trading furious punches and trying to look for an early big blow. Omega landed a massive big boot, but Jericho answered with some massive chops of his own.

This also included the former WWE star getting Omega in an early look at the Walls of Jericho.

Soon after the early jockeying for control, the action spilled to the outside. Jericho, ever playing the heel roll, took things outside the barricade. Yet, that didn’t stop the risk-taking champion from going up to the top rope and trying to take out Y2J. He came up empty in a bad way on the attempt, flying through an announce table.

That only picked up the action. Jericho stated taking out his anger on everyone, including getting Red Shoes’ son in the Walls and shouting at Red Shoes himself. However, Omega was having none of this and started coming back with a fury against his opponent. He took a TV monitor and hit Jericho with it, but then went high-risk again as he climbed a lighting rig and hit a double-foot stomp onto Y2J, who he’d set up with a table on top of him.

Despite Omega looking as if he could take full control, Jericho was relentless in not giving up the edge. He reversed a suplex over the barricade first. And when that didn’t stop the champion, he pulled out some more. Omega went up looking for a springboard move into the ring. As he got his feet on the top rope, though, Y2J hit a springboard dropkick of his own to put Kenny in a bad way.

After that, the challenger seemed to take some semblance of control in the match. Not only was he dishing out some vicious punishment of his own, but he was turning anything Omega tried to counter with right back at him. This was never more evident than when Jericho stopped a running Omega in his tracks and then landed a big Lionsault.

If there’s one thing that we know, though, it’s that Omega isn’t going to lie down for anyone — not even the legendary Y2J. After finding a second (or third, or fourth) wind, Omega got his opponent to the outside. And with that, he took flight as he went for a massive Terminator tope, which landed flush.

Once back in the ring, however, Jericho wasn’t done. The champion perhaps got a bit too aggressive in going after his opponent and got caught by the savvy veteran Jericho. Y2J locked in the Walls once again, this time in the middle of the ring. Perhaps not veteran savvy but rather just brutality came in Omega’s favor, though. He crawled and clawed his way to the corner and found some aerosol spray, which he used to blind Jericho and break the hold.

His vision was impaired, but his taste for violence surely was not. Jericho set up a chair between the top two ropes in the corner and made good use of it. Again and again, he sent the champ into the chair headfirst numerous times, busting Omega open and sending blood spewing from his forehead.

The more punishment that the champ seemed to take in this regard, though, the more that he seemed to start thriving over it. And when Jericho may have thought he’d gained complete control over the match, Omega took over and started methodically going to work, landing two nasty snap dragon suplexes and then a wicked spinning heel kick to the back of the head.

Desperate once again, Jericho pulled out a chair and unleashed furious shots on his opponent with it, breaking the chair into pieces. Yet, that still didn’t stop him from using it and inflicting more damage.

As Jericho continued though, going high-risk caught up with him. When he went up to the top rope, Omega found a burst of adrenaline and came at him full force. With a table still set up outside the ring, the champ came up and hit a high V-Trigger that sent the challenger falling through the table.

Omega continued to land nasty V-Trigger after nasty V-Trigger, but then upped the ante a bit. Trying to end it, he got Jericho up and landed a nasty double-underhook piledriver.

Following that, Omega couldn’t get the three-count. That’s when he really looked to end the match with the One-Winged Angel. After getting him up, however, Jericho somehow writhed free and rolled through into the Walls of Jericho, which put Omega in a horrible way. It almost looked as if Red Shoes was about to call the match, but somehow the champ fought through and got to the ropes.

When it then seemed like Jericho could pull through, Omega came back with another flurry of his own. He first hit a big V-Trigger once again to a kneeling Jericho. That led to him going for the One-Winged Angel again, which he hit this time. However, he hit it far too close to the ropes, and Jericho was able to break up the three-count with the ropes.

Somehow finding one last bit of strength, Jericho countered Omega’s next flurry of offense by hitting the Codebreaker.

Again showing his desperation, he looked to get the chair back involved and really put an end to this match. As he tried to do so and hit another Lionsault, though, Omega popped up and hit him in the back with the chair. With Y2J stuck on the ropes, Kenny took advantage.

Next: 50 Best Professional Wrestlers Of All-Time

The chair now laying on the ground, Omega slipped underneath Jericho and got him up. He set up the One-Winged Angel and, to end it, put Jericho down with his finisher onto the chair.

Following miles of brutality, that was too much for Y2J to get past as Omega won with the three-count.