10 Best NJPW Matches Of 2020 (So Far)

The G1 match that Shingo and Ishii had was a classic but they topped themselves here, doing the perfect brute heavyweight style and making it into a war of total attrition. Both men beat each other until they’re too weak and too tired to stand properly, but keep throwing swings until one of them can’t walk anymore. It is the peak of NJPW's modern clashing titans, one of the best explicit heavyweight contests of the last few years, and proof that Ishii and Shingo are made for each other.

Tomohiro Ishii has an established style of professional wrestling, that is clear to everyone who has seen a few of his matches. The man does what he does pretty religiously, altering it for his opponents' distinct offence and characteristics, but he will always do his lariats and chops and suplexes and go for his Brainbuster. He loves slapping against big men and getting angry at them as they slap him back. When Ishii is in his element with a perfect opponent, he steals every show he's on, and Shingo's his best competitor since Goto and Shibata.

This was Shingo cementing himself as the new Openweight superstar of NJPW, towering through Goto for the title and retaining against Ishii in such a brutal tiring battle, both matches showing his incredible skill and proving he can carry the division in the future. This is such a brilliant match, worth watching for any fan of heavyweight wrestling.