10 Best NJPW Matches Of The Year

2016 has truly been a banner year for New Japan Pro Wrestling. Beginning with a Wrestle Kingdom event to rival the best wrestling shows in history, through a G1 Climax tournament that garnered more attention than ever before, New Japan set the wrestling world alight. NJPW's 2016 PPV cards consistently featured action-packed match-ups, and its annual tournaments give the entire roster opportunities to shine and boy, did they shine. New superstars emerged while the promotion's veterans proved they are among the elite performers on the planet.

There's simply no way to cram all of New Japan's best matches of 2016 into a top 10 list but for die-hard fans who want to reminisce about they year, to non-fans who want to understand what all the hype is about, here are the top 10 NJPW matches of 2016.

Let's start off with the most widely talked-about match of the year, Will Ospreay vs Ricochet during the 2016 edition of the Best of the Super Juniors tournament.

Ospreay and Ricochet are separately regarded as two of the most exciting young performers on the planet, with Ospreay lighting up the British scene and Ricochet being a key player in promotions like PWG and Lucha Underground. The BOSJ, which Ricochet had previously won, was the perfect setting for these two aerial innovators to clash.

The match itself played out like a scene from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, with both wrestlers defying any notion of gravity. GIFs and highlights of the match got viewership from international audiences and non-wrestling fans unlike ever before, which caused a stir amongst old school veterans like Vader who dismissed it as overly-choreographed nonsense.

Regardless, Ospreay and Ricochet's talent is undeniable and it is one of the most entertaining matches of the year.