10 Best NJPW Matches Of 2017 (So Far...)
10. Tetsuya Naito Vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi - Wrestle Kingdom 11
Imagine a world in which this match is only the 10th best match of the year. It isn't going to make this list at the end of the year either. That alone shows the quality on offer in NJPW in 2017.
Hiroshi Tanahashi is in a peculiar place in 2017. A new generation of fans are gravitating towards New Japan, brought on board by the performances of Omega, Okada, Shibata, Naito and the rest. Tanahashi has become an elder statesman of sorts, and new fans may be somewhat oblivious to the fact that it was Tana who carried the company on his back for so long.
Every major Tanahashi story from this point on will be about his attempts to prove himself in the new world, and his feud with Tetsuya Naito was no different. Tanahashi is still one of New Japan's top performers, but it is men like Naito that he now struggles to contend with. Tana knows that time is passing him by, and he is clinging on to every bit of glory that he can.
Naito proved too much for him in the Tokyo Dome. The two mirrored each other throughout, no one man dominated the match, but it was Naito's freshness that won through in the end. A Tanahashi/Naito match is always going to be a spectacle in the ring, but it is the story here that pushes it close to the five star range.