Kazuchika Okada Retains AEW Continental Title In Battle Of The Belts XII Opener

Kazuchika Okada retained his AEW Continental Championship over Kyle O'Reilly in the opening match of "AEW Battle of the Belts XII." Okada was making his seventh defense of the title he won in March, booked after O'Reilly's latest challenge during "AEW Rampage" despite "The Rainmaker" declining in recent weeks. O'Reilly teamed with The Conglomeration during this week's "AEW Dynamite" to face Okada and The Young Bucks, getting the win by disqualification when the Blackpool Combat Club ransacked the match – The Elite fled, meanwhile, apparently rattled by the force of the BCC. 

O'Reilly had the champion rattled in the bout itself following some back-and-forth action to open things up, locking in a tight heel hook until Okada fought his way out of it. O'Reilly was fatigued by this stage, allowing Okada to walk the damage off as he fought his way back to the advantage. Okada continued to stalk his opponent, but O'Reilly fought back to rally with five minutes left to go in the 20-minute bout, locking in yet another heel hook until Okada reached the ropes and fled the ring. Through the champion's advantage, he would retain in the event of a draw so planned to draw out the clock, taking the fight to his challenger on the floor and then thrusting him back in the ring. Okada connected with a Rainmaker lariat but sought to follow it up, with O'Reilly escaping multiple attempts at the move before trying to lock in a guillotine, only for the champion to ultimately fight out of it and deliver the desired finisher, securing the pinfall and title retention after 18 minutes of action.