G1 Climax: Every Modern Final Ranked

5. Tetsuya Naito Vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (2013)

Nakamura Tanahashi G1 2015
NJPW

New Japan always wanted Tetsuya Naito to be a big star, and by golly, they've succeeded in recent years. He and his stable are the top merch movers in the company, and everywhere he goes, he's almost universally beloved (just don't go to Osaka).

While Naito started to get this momentum in 2016, the company thought they had succeeded in 2013, when the 'Stardust Genius' defeated the Ace Hiroshi Tanahashi to win his first G1. Of course, like WWE's failed attempt to make Roman Reigns the top guy in 2015, there were some missteps that stalled Naito's ascendancy.

Having come off knee surgery, Naito played it up big in his matches. The bulk of this G1 final consists of Tanahashi working the knee and Naito selling it inconsistently. Much like how Seth Rollins' only trait for a while was that he had a bum knee, there's not much to Naito in-ring during this time other than that he's come off surgery. And just like Roman Reigns matches where all he did was get beat up before hitting the spear and winning, this match mainly consists of Tanahashi getting the heat before Naito makes his comeback and wins with his finisher.

It's still a pretty good match, all considered, but with outings like this, it's easy to see why the fans soured on Naito's push.

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Contributor

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