10 Best NJPW Matches Of 2016 (So Far...)

It is a testament to New Japan Pro Wrestling that for the second year in a row their biggest show was headlined by the same match, going through the same story, and it was an absolute hit. Make no mistake about it, Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi is the greatest rivalry in modern professional wrestling, and nothing else comes close.

This match was unique in that it was the champion who went into it with everything to prove, the challenger who entered the ring with momentum on his side. Okada may have been the IWGP Heavyweight Champion, but Tanahashi was still the ace. In order to truly rise and become the ace, Okada had to do what he couldn't do a year prior. He had to beat Tanahashi in the Tokyo Dome.

This was the end of the rivalry, redemption for Okada one year after he left the Tokyo Dome in tears. The first half of the match was all about counters, with neither man seemingly able to connect with anything meaningful due to their familiarity with each other. The veteran Tanahashi soon took control though, and once again it was Okada's legs that were the target.

This was an absolutely beautiful thing to watch. Both men knew each other so well that whatever plans they had going in were abandoned, and it all came down to who was the better man on the night. Where one year earlier confidence had gotten the better of him, Kazuchika Okada in 2016 was ready to become the ace of New Japan.