Ranking The Biggest Rivalries In Wrestling Every Year 1990-2020

4. 2017 - Kenny Omega Vs Kazuchika Okada

It changed everything.

New Japan was enjoying rich commercial and critical acclaim on both sides of the Pacific Ocean by January 2017, with Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada's unfathomably good in-ring exploits at the heart of it. But if NJPW was in the middle of providing electrifying new answers for fans tired of WWE's monopoly, the pair's Wrestle Kingdom 11 match changed the questions. Principally, "was that the best match ever?" and "who the f*ck are these two, what the f*ck is NJPW?" and "how can I watch some f*cking more of this right now?"

Capitalising magnificently on the buzz, head booker Gedo presented two rematches of the classic that triggered conversations about if Chapter's two and three were better than one. Sharing a win each with a draw in the middle, the table was set for a fourth to better the rest in 2018 amidst Western growth hitherto unseen in NJPW's rich history.