Tommaso Ciampa fought hard, but Kazuchika Okada is still AEW International Champion after an epic battle at AEW All Out 2026.
The match picked up quickly after Ciampa went for a handshake, but was flipped off by Okada instead. Ciampa dodged two Rainmakers, and Okada dodged a knee strike before rolling out of the ring to compose himself.
Ciampa downed Okada with a lariat, then sent him out of the ring again, before nailing him with a knee through the ropes. He hit yet another knee to Okada’s face with the champion on the commentary desk. Ciampa took too long mouthing off to Don Callis, however, and Okada recovered to take back control. The men fought on the ropes, and Ciampa’s head clipped the top of the ring post, stunning him.
Okada beat down his challenger in front of his wife and daughter at ringside. He asked Ciampa’s daughter, Willow, for a high five, but flipped her off instead, but Willow surprised him with a double bird of her own. The distraction allowed Ciampa to recover, and he hit another knee to the champion. He dodged a Rainmaker back in the ring, then connected with an Angels Wings, before Okada hit the scoop-slam, then elbow drop.
Back on the ropes, Ciampa tried to get off a Project Ciampa, but Okada raked his eyes. He found the screwdriver hidden in the post as Callis distracted the referee. Ciampa connected with a jumping knee as Okada leapt off the rope, knocking the screwdriver out of his hand. The pair traded counters and dodged one another’s big moves, and Ciampa finally got his knee pad down.
After Okada kicked out of the knee strike, Ciampa missed a Rainmaker of his own. Okada staggered Ciampa with a dropkick, then finally connected with the Rainmaker for the win.
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