Wrestlers React To Japan Defeating USA In World Baseball Classic Final

Sometimes a moment can be so big it transcends the sport it happens in. That's exactly what occurred Tuesday night when Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout — two of the most decorated baseball players active today — squared off with two outs in the ninth inning of the World Baseball Classic championship game. Ohtani threw a perfect slider past a swinging Trout, sending Japan home with its first WBC Championship since winning back-to-back in 2006 and 2009. The improbable moment, which saw two baseball legends come face-to-face in the most dramatic of settings, sent shockwaves through the entire sports world — including pro wrestling, another sport that enjoys strong ties between Japan and the United States.

"My gawd!!" WWE star Angelo Dawkins tweeted moments after Ohtani struck Trout out for the win, calling the two-way Japanese player a "beast." "This [World Baseball Classic] game has been good!" AEW star Lance Archer tweeted. "We are getting Trout v Ohtani in the 9th inning. Great booking," Impact Wrestling's Frankie Kazarian joked during the epic at bat.

Once Ohtani struck out Trout on six pitches, Japanese wrestlers Shinsuke Nakamura, Sumie Sakai, and IYO SKY tweeted out their home country's flag and emotional emojis to celebrate Japan's championship win — a victory which capped off a perfect 7-0 run in the WBC tournament this month. SKY, who was in attendance at the championship game at LoanDepot Park in Miami, tweeted a photo of herself wearing a Trout t-shirt, showing her support for both countries where she's primarily made a name for herself in wrestling. "Thank you for the great game!" she tweeted afterwards.