Tony Khan Compares Celebrated AEW & NJPW Rivalry To The Godfather

Over the last five years or so, it's become more common to compare professional wrestling to "cinema," with Paul Heyman previously using the term to describe WWE's Bloodline saga. According to AEW President Tony Khan, another storyline that hits a little closer to home has a similar pedigree. Appearing on "Marking Out with MVP," Khan said that the matches between Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada in New Japan Pro-Wrestling remind him of a classic pair of films.

"It is something to me like when I watch 'The Godfather,' and I think that, 'This is so perfect and I could watch this over and over and over again,'" Khan said. "And then they actually went out and managed to make a movie with 'Godfather 2' of the same standard and that complements the original – they go together so well. That's the rivalry between Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada."

To date, Omega and Okada have wrestled five singles matches. The first four took place in NJPW in 2017 and 2018, and the two then followed it up in AEW last year, wrestling their fifth singles bout at All In Texas. As of right now, they are tied at two wins a piece and one time-limit draw. According to Khan, each match was as exciting as the original.

"They made this incredible, incredible match that, to me, is like 'The Godfather.' It's the perfect match," he continued. "And then they've gone out and with their rivalry, they've managed to maintain that level of perfection and do something that is not repetitive, it's complementary. And that is the standard of Kazuchika Okada and Kenny Omega."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit X and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.