Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi (NJPW, 11/5/17)

I both love and hate that Hiroshi Tanahashi still primps his new haircut like the lion's mane that once so beautifully adorned his head. I can't remember if this match was better than their G1 Climax bout...at the very least, they were quite similar in structure. A lot of "your good, I'm better, no, wait, I'm the best"-ing around to open before Tanahashi settles into to working Ibushi's leg in classic Tanahashi fashion. You know, lots of legwhips. One area that was a marked improvement from the G1 match-up was Ibushi's selling. When he tries to get fresh with his standing moonsault, his leg gives out on the landing when Tanahashi rolls out of the way. Tanahashi, working that veteran ace style, does a good job of cutting off Ibushi's momentum by targeting the injured leg but Ibushi gets his comeback in the form of a somersault kick that stuns Tanahashi, allowing a run of offense that includes a lawn dart in the corner and a swan-dive German suplex. Unsurprisingly, the highlight of the match for me was that pissy slap, palm thrust, boot exchange, with Ibushi seizing Red Shoes' wrist and continuing to snap off kicks at Tanahashi in the corner like a shithead. Alas, Tanahashi survives the Last Ride powerbomb and alludes the final knee strike, planting Ibushi with a slingblade and a dragon suplex hold before putting him away with back-to-front High Fly Flows. A simple story with good selling, a few fiery exchanges, and enough big spots to satisfy without becoming too self-indulgent. Good stuff. 

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito (NJPW, 8/11/17)

The final contest in their trilogy of matches, and quite possibly, the best of the bunch. Maybe. I don't know. Tanahashi and Naito have such good chemistry together, and it really worked here, with the Sumo Hall pro-Naito and Tanahashi turning the crowd early with a couple of bad boy slaps to Naito's face in the ropes. Kiss that ace guitar bye-bye. Then he attacks Naito during his tranquilo pose and it's on, with nasty open hands exchanged in the corner and Naito taking the first seat behind the wheel with an awesome basement dropkick counter to Tanahashi's rounding body press. It's dueling limbwork, which I can totally get behind given it's done well and thankfully, these two make it work. Tanahashi's torn bicep has been the story of his G1 run and Naito being Naito exploits that injury.

On the other side, Tanahashi is looking to submit Naito with the cloverleaf hold he used to win the IC title back at Dominion, using his variety of dragon screws. There were some neat counters, like the legwhip off the slingshot dropkick and then the frakensteiner roll through into the legwhip. After he delivers a big top rope dragon screw, Tanahashi locks in the cloverleaf hold and essentially sits on Naito's head, bending exerting a ton of pressure in the most memorable part of the match. Naito's able to escape to the relief of Sumo Hall and after going back the arm, he hits a few swinging DDTs to set-up the Destino but Tanahashi counters with three consecutive whiplashes! But when he tries for the slingblade, Naito hits the Destino counter into the Destino to finish off the old ace. A simple story told exceptionally without the need to drift into the usual NJPW main event overkill territory. Great stuff.

Yuji Nagata vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (7/23/17)

Yuji Nagata has been busting his ass for his final G1 Climax appearance and this was easily his best match and performance of the tournament (and a personal favorite of mine). These two have great chemistry together. You had Tanahashi heeling it up with his limbwork, tossing the proverbial ace guitar out of the ring to focus on attacking the veteran's leg. Nagata was as spirited as ever, with the crowd firmly behind him. Tanahashi starts in on the leg, kicking the knee when he can and embracing the boos. Nagata fights through the pain to land some stiff kicks and slaps, his facials always so terrific. Tanahashi tries going after the leg again with the cloverleaf hold but Nagata fights him off, going after the arm and building to a big top rope Exploder. He tries to finish Tanahashi off with the backdrop but Tanahashi counters with a crossbody and once more cuts off Nagata at the knee. That final slap exchange is awesome, with Nagata getting busted open and his exhausted swings and misses before collapsing face-first on the mat. Tanahashi's able to put Nagata away with the High Fly but Nagata wasn't going down without a fight. Loved this match. 

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Osamu Nishimura (NJPW, 8/7/04)

This is a pretty neat little Nishimura formula match-up with Tanahashi holding his own against the veteran early on, really working a side headlock, supplemented with a couple of flashy moves, before going right back to it. When Osamu tries to work in his octopus hold, Tanahashi counters with a side suplex. The narrative here is the legwork, which is smartly introduced when Tanahashi gets tangled in the ropes and Osamu shoves the ref out of the way so he can attack the vulnerable leg. After a kneebreaker on the guardrail, Osamu puts him in the figure-four leglock back inside the ring. Tanahashi's selling is pretty great, especially when he's trying to charge Nishimura in the corner, which allows Nishimura to take him out at the knee with a dropkick. When Nishimura has him back in the figure-four, the desperate Tanahashi is grabbing onto the ref as Nishimura arches back to exert more pressure. The finish is...well, typical of Nishimura matches, seemingly coming out of thin air as Nishimura misses the diving kneedrop and Tanahashi capitalizes with a Shining Wizard and dragon suplex hold to put the veteran away. See-ya.

Yuji Nagata vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW, 4/13/07)

A little over ten years ago, Yuji Nagata defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi to win his second IWGP Heavyweight Title. At the time, I loved the match and now, having re-watched it, I still love it. It remains one of Nagata's best singles performances, if not my personal favorite, and Tanahashi does such a good job of channeling his inner douchebag ace. In the opening exchange, Tanahashi shows that he's not a kid anymore while Nagata shows he's not an old man and he can keep pace. At one point, Nagata just starts kicking Tanahashi instead of locking up with him, done with the games. He doesn't have time for the plancha attempt either, walking off and taking a breather on the outside. Tanashi responds by attacking Nagata in the ropes and Nagata snaps on him, pummeling Tanahashi into a corner, laying into him with stiff kicks and shoving Red Shoes out of the way. They start throwing hard slaps, with Tanahashi really squeezing the mustard on, but Nagata shuts him down and starts in with the pissy strikes, just trying to wear the ace down. He goes after Tanahashi's arm, cranking on a reverse armbar and keeping hold of the arm after Tanahashi reaches the ropes. He goes back to it in little ways throughout the match but I think for the amount of time spent on it, Tanahashi's selling was fine.

Tanahashi transitions into the leg control with a dragon screw legwhip in the ropes. The fans turn on Tanahashi as he begins working on the leg, using the ring post and the ropes. Nagata tries to fight back but Tanahashi catches a kick attempt and nearly drops him on his head with a capture suplex. After a beautiful dragon screw legwhip, Tanahashi holds on the leg and when Nagata starts trying to kick him off, Tana legwhips him into the mat. Great stuff. Nagata starts firing off some nasty slaps but Tanahashi takes the nastiness to another level with his slaps and coldcocks Nagata, who face plants in a terrific moment of selling. In fact, Nagata's selling throughout is great, between his facials and the legwork. He delivers back-to-back snap brainbusters but when he tries for the spiral brainbuster, his knee gives out. Tanahashi takes advantage of the injury, hitting a slingblade and a dragon suplex, but Nagata sacrifices his knees to block the High Fly Flow. Loved Nagata's saito suplex counter to the second slingblade attempt. You can see the seams coming loose on the ace as he repeatedly headbutts Nagata out of frustration and hits a German suplex cradle and a shutdown German for a nearfall. He's able to stun Nagata with a slap but reacting almost on reflexes, Nagata blasts him with a high kick to the head. Two backdrops later, holding onto the second, Nagata pins Tanahashi to become the new IWGP Heavyweight Champion before the pro-Nagata crowd. A fantastic match and one definitely worth revisiting.

Tetsuya Naito vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW, 6/11/17)

I thought this was shade under their Wrestle Kingdom match but still probably the match of the night, with a fantastic performance from Naito and Tanahashi doing his best to sell the injured arm. I thought Tanahashi’s selling was good at best but for the amount of work Naito put into the arm, it could have been much better – especially during the home stretch. Naito in true Naito fashion latches onto the arm and goes back to it time and again in moments of weakness or desperation. He exudes arrogance throughout the match in the good times and panic during the bad, to a point where he overshadows Tanahashi on an expressive level. Tanahashi’s offense seems like a reprieve from Naito’s onslaught, with his release German and dragon screws, but the legwork didn’t really add much to the match.

As Tanahashi’s offense ramps up heading into the final minutes, the injured arm doesn’t feel like much of a factor, like when he’s catching Naito off the ropes and planting him with a swinging side slam. He’s able to counter the swinging DDT with back-to-back whiplashes but misses the High Fly Flow. They trade hard slaps and Tanahashi ducks a swing and delivers the shutdown German suplex for a nearfall. There’s a hiccup or two during their final dance-off but otherwise, a decisive win for Tanahashi. After a big Naito German suplex, he tries for the Destino and Tanahashi counters with a release dragon suplex. Two slingblades and a High Fly Flow later, Tanahashi has him in the elevated Texas cloverleaf hold, putting the pressure on Naito’s back. To nitpick, it’s a hold that requires a lot from the applier’s arms, especially at that angle, but…whatever, Naito ruled here and the submission finish was a cool surprise.

NJPW "WRESTLE KINGDOM 11 IN TOKYO DOME" (1/4/17)

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: KUSHIDA (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi 

This was wacky and haphazard, with some miscalculated spots that added a sense of urgency and unpredictability to the match. It fits Hiromu's 'time bomb' crust punk character and I think it initially forced KUSHIDA to work at that breakneck pace, nearly killing himself with the top rope somersault senton on the outside. They blew the 'rana over the ropes but Takahashi made up for it by hitting his own somersault senton from the top. KUSHIDA then snaps out of it and catches Takahashi's apron senton with a cross armbreaker on the outside. I loved KUSHIDA pissed off armwork with the hair-grabbing and kicks. The Hoverboard Lock struggle, along with Hiromu's selling, fleshed out the frantic nature of the match. The finishing stretch saw the champ's desperation in full effect as he tries in vain to hold onto his title, only to fall to Hiromu's Time Bomb finish. Structurally, this thing was a mess but maybe that's a big part of it's charm. Hiromu is like bizarro-KUSHIDA and I love it. 

NEVER Openweight Title: Katsuyori Shibata (c) vs. Hirooki Goto

Out of every match on the show, this one had me hooked from start to finish. I understand that stylistically, these NEVER Openweight Title matches are polarizing but for me, it's a style I enjoy when the violence doesn't feel overly indulgent. This had the right balance, the crowd was fully invested, and it was awesome to watch Goto's mounting frustrations reach a tipping point as Shibata gives zero fucks and makes him work his kind of match. The strikes were stiff, as expected, and Shibata in is full 'Goonies never say die' mode, kicking, elbowing, headbutting Goto without regard. I don't even think Shibata cared if he kept the title or not, he just wanted Goto to show some fire and when Goto finally exploded, it was amazing. The build to that final headbutt exchange made it feel special and Goto's headbutts looked like a million bucks. I loved that shot of Shibata's zombie-fied face after Goto hits that final headbutt and plants him with the inverted GTR before finishing him off with the regular GTR. This is exactly the kind of win Goto needed and he looked like a total badass with that finish. I enjoyed this more than both of Shibata's matches with Ishii last year, as it felt fresh, not like a retread of old territory, and the performance from a reinvigorated and pissed off Goto was one of his best. I think this is my MOTN on first viewing. The end result was the absolute right decision and I can't wait to see what Goto does with the title while Shibata begins his road to winning the G1 Climax. 

IWGP Intercontinental Title: Tetsuya Naito (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

This was good and would likely have been even better if Tanahashi put more into his selling. That being said, veteran ace Tanahashi does a masterful job of setting the pace of this match and I thought the storytelling was really good, with the dueling legwork, the callbacks to previous encounters, and Naito's mostly shenanigans-free approach to wrestling. The crowd was still hot from the previous match and bought what these two were selling. I'm a big fan of Naito's limbwork and his use of the injured leg to escape predicaments and squash momentum. When Tanahashi started going after Naito's leg, Naito's selling eclipsed Tanahashi's. When it comes to sustained selling, I'm a nitpicker and in a match like this, where Naito's legwork is a primary focus, Tanahashi didn't put enough into his performance to make me care. Things like him using the cloverleaf hold, which puts a lot of stress on the knees, and then running around to hit High Fly Flows without much of a limp in his step. The slingblade on the apron was a cool spot though. By the end of it, it felt a little puffy and should've ended on that first Destino but they kill a few more minutes, allowing Naito to hit a couple more to retain. A good slow-burner with a great underlying story and performance from Naito. The result makes sense considering the result of the main event and now LIJ is dominant as fuck. 

IWGP Heavyweight Title: Kazuchida Okada (c) vs. Kenny Omega

Woof, this match. I mean, I think the reason Naito/Omega worked so well is that they kept it under 30 minutes and the downtime only added to the narrative, with Omega working around his bum knee. Here, the first 20 minutes felt like complete, sleep-inducing filler and then they suddenly ramp it up from a 2 to an 11, to the point where it felt artificial and mechanical. There's no doubt these two busted their asses for the second half of the match and some of the spots were nutzo but maybe they were trying a little too hard to re-create the 'epic', jaw-dropping nature of the Naito/Omega match. Even if they had shaved off 15 dull minutes, I still don't think this would've reached the much-hyped "MOTY" label everyone was hoping for...at least from my perspective. Lots of indulgent, finish-worthy spots, like the top rope dragon suplex, that were inconsequential thirty seconds later. That being said, I did like the finishing stretch, with Omega landing some vicious knees, including the Rainmaker knee, and Okada managing to counter out of every attempt at the One-Winged Angel, preserving the danger of it and laying the groundwork for the rematch. The spinning tombstone > Rainmaker combo was the cherry on the sprinkle-coated frosting of this cake and the exclamation point on Okada's dominant ace role while still making Omega look strong as a title challenger. This match skipped the appetizers and went straight to the dessert bar at the Golden Corral. 

New Japan's Wrestle Kingdom 10 (1/2/16)

Wrestle Kingdom 9 was the best pro-wrestling event of 2015. Hands down. The K. Ibushi/S. Nakamura match topped many a folk's end-of-the-year lists, with Tanahashi/Okada easily in the top 5 and a pretty awesome Suzuki/Sakuraba squabble. Enter 2016. Wrestle Kingdom 10. Is this already show of the year? Probably.

NEVER Openweight Title: Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata

We knew this was going to be awesome. We knew that when these two went at it, it would be sometimes hard to watch. The sound effects would make you cringe. The emotion would be high, the fighting spirit undying. The tag match from 12/19's Road to Tokyo Dome show gave us an awesome preview of what would come in one of the best tag team matches from last year. Did it deliver? Hell yeah. This was a contest of pure endurance and pain tolerance. Early on,  these two were begging for pain, trading shots until Shibata went Happy Gilmore on Ishii's back with a kick. But Ishii's a Stone Pitbull. He's like New Japan's version of the Absorbing Man. He chops Shibata like firewood and Shibata's forearms are nutzo. After kicking the shit out of Ishii, he gladly cleans it off his face with the side of his boot in the corner. He's polite about his violence, and god, does it look painful. Lariats, kicks, suplexes, and we all fall down. Ishii wants to keep his NEVER title and folds Shibata up with a powerbomb for two -- the first pin attempt of the match. Lariat? Count one. Sliding lariat? Count two. And those thunking headbutts are the stuff of nightmares. More lariats from Ishii, more kicks from Shibata...and a nasty flying knee kick, a front kick, and the PK for the Shibata victory! A surprising finish to a non-stop match in which the competitors didn't have time to think about the consequences of their actions, or the degradation of the human biomass. Life is short. Let's fuck each other up and call it art. A+

IWGP Intercontinental Title: Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. AJ Styles

So these two are leaving New Japan, heading to WWE in a quasi-surprising move, and instead of going the Goldberg/Lesnar route and not giving two shits, they gave like 4 and a half shits. This was easily my favorite AJ Styles New Japan match, and when Shinsuke wants to be solid, he's above and beyond. A slower build, which suits the 18-year veteran Styles well. The high flying shenangians are in still in his repertoire but he's picked up a few new tricks along the way that don't jeopardize his chances as much. There's also a franticness to this match. You can see it in their movements and counters. AJ's a former IWGP Heavyweight Champion so in his mind, this is beneath him. But Nakamura's swallows his final piece of Bullet Club lead and Styles quickly needs to coat check the ego. He does beautifully with a Styles dropkick (one of the best still) but when he plays opossum in the corner, he pays for it with a backbreaker and a sick high knee strike in the corner. Shinsuke looks like a lunatic and I'd be happy to see a Shinsuke Nakamura/Dean Ambrose match in his WWE future. Styles sells the back with the suplex lift attempt and goes low with the snap suplex in the corner. He works over Nakamura's leg, trying to weaken the Boma Ye, but it doesn't seem to be working. Once Shinsuke connects with that murdering second-rope Boma Ye, the momentum shifts. AJ lands his own Boma Ye and goes old-school with the Firebird Splash and Nakamura goes old-school with the cross armbreaker counter. A one-armed Styles Clash from AJ isn't enough to dethrone the foppish king. He hits the Bloody Sunday set-up to another Styles Clash...wait, fuck that, Super Styles Clash is the better decision. But his ego comes back to haunt him and after Nakamura counters off the top with the Landslide, he nails AJ with one of the most brutal Boma Ye knees to the back of the head, followed by a second Boma Ye to retain. Awesome stuff. A+

IWGP Heavyweight Title: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

Rewind to Wrestle Kingdom 9, Tanahashi was still ace. He defeated Okada to keep his belt and his pride intact -- well, relatively intact and then lost it to Styles. Okada had to wade through the Bullet Club bullshit to finally reclaim what was taken from him at Wrestling Dontaku 2014, and now, the stage is set for the final battle to decide Japan's top pro wrestler. Tanahashi goes for the leg early on because, let's face it, he likes the Texas Cloverleaf. Unfortunately, Okada's selling of the limb work left something to be desired in this match, and while it didn't necessarily detract from the match as a whole, the inconsistency made you realize that Kazuchika Okada is human and not a wrestling god. It was what you would expect from these two, with a little more salt and pepper here and there, some big nearfalls, the 'Hey, I respect you but I'm going to try and beat you with your own finisher' game, and one of the best finishes I've seen in awhile. Tanahashi, the consummate samurai, strikes out with a final flash of steel: a Sling Blade, a dragon suplex hold, and back-to-back High Fly Flows. But Okada won't go down. He can't go down. The passion for this rivalry is deafening within the Tokyo Dome, and maybe Tanahashi lets that get to him because in his heart-of-hearts, he knows that Okada is now the master. He tries for the third HFF but Okada shows him the best dropkick in the world! After Okada's German suplex, Tanahashi slaps Okada! He's got nothing left at this point and Okada won't let go -- literally. Three Rainmakers and it's goodnight, sweet prince Tanahashi. A+ And with this win, Okada fulfills his destiny. He becomes the embodiment of New Japan; the modern evolution of pro wrestling art. Here's to 2016!