10 Best Wrestling Rivalries That Kept It All In The Ring
6. Hiroshi Tanahashi Vs. Kazuchika Okada
The tale of Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada is a classic ‘passing the torch’ story. The former was the untouchable company ace who’d carried NJPW through one of its roughest periods, while Okada had been hand picked as the company’s new golden boy, and was about to have the proverbial rocket strapped to him.
Fresh off returning from an unproductive excursion in the US, Okada wrestled Tanahashi at New Beginning 2012, scoring a stunning upset win over the man who’d soon become his greatest rival. The ensuing IWGP Heavyweight Title run didn’t last long, as Tanahashi took the belt back four months later, but Okada’s ascension was well underway, and the great bouts continued.
2013 was a standout year, with the duo trading victories in a set of five-star matches They didn’t meet again until Wrestle Kingdom 9 (2015), when Tanahashi triumphed once again, then openly mocked a tearful Okada in the aftermath. One full year later, ‘The Rainmaker’ finally usurped Tanahashi, beating him inside the Tokyo Dome for the very first time, and taking his ‘ace’ status in the process.
It was the culmination of four years of in-ring storytelling, and in a simple tale of two wrestlers striving to be the best in the business, the younger man came through.