Folks, let’s talk about Kazuchika Okada, a man so unstoppable they had to name him “The Rainmaker,” because every time he steps into the ring, you can bet something wild is about to go down. At Battle of the Belts XII, Okada put on a masterclass in wrestling domination, successfully retaining his AEW Continental Championship against Kyle O’Reilly in the opener, and boy, was it a show.
O’Reilly came into this bout hot off the heels of some serious tag team action alongside The Conglomeration (not to be confused with any mergers or acquisitions) during AEW Dynamite. He and the Young Bucks squared off against Okada and, well, The Elite… until the Blackpool Combat Club (BCC) decided to play the part of angry bouncers, crashing the match and sending The Elite running for the hills. O’Reilly picked up the win there by DQ, but hey, a win’s a win, right?
Once the bell rang at Battle of the Belts XII, O’Reilly didn’t waste time, trying to chip away at Okada with his signature technical offense, including a vicious heel hook that had the champ visibly shaken. But Okada isn’t a 7-time champ for nothing, folks. He powered through, walking off the damage like someone who just stubbed their toe but refuses to admit it hurts. O’Reilly, meanwhile, was running on fumes, allowing Okada to take control of the match.
With five minutes left in the 20-minute bout, O’Reilly launched a last-ditch effort, slapping on another heel hook, but Okada, channeling his inner Houdini, reached the ropes and rolled out of the ring. Knowing a draw would still keep him champion, Okada wisely dragged the fight to the floor, burned the clock, and then hurled O’Reilly back into the ring like a sack of potatoes.
O’Reilly avoided not one, not two, but multiple attempts at the Rainmaker Lariat, even managing to lock in a guillotine. But as we all know, you can’t keep The Rainmaker down forever. Okada finally landed his signature move with the precision of a master, securing the pinfall after 18 grueling minutes.
And just like that, Okada’s 7th defense of the AEW Continental Title ended with his arm raised, once again proving that when you’re in the ring with The Rainmaker, you either sink or swim. And O’Reilly? Well, he got swept away.