10 Incredible Dream Matches NJPW Will Give Away In The 2018 G1 Climax
3. Kazuchika Okada Vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
Kazuchika Okada's evocative and record-breaking IWGP Heavyweight Championship defence against Hiroshi Tanahashi earlier this year would have once been the standard for other matches to follow. Ironically, it is the elevated path Okada has paved alongside Kenny Omega that has displaced the legendary back catalogue of 'The Ace' in wrestling pantheons, but the iconic series between the pair will forever remain amongst the elite.
In his 12th and final defence, Okada dominated Tanahashi in a manner previously unseen in their fabulous back-and-forth series. He was faster, better and stronger than his ageing foe despite the huge heart exhibited by the game and determined former Champion to stick at it for as long as he did.
Okada took more than Tana's record when he flattened him at Dontaku - he permanently reduced his relevance at the top of the card. In the wake of suffering his biggest ever defeat, might he rue the day he obnoxiously exerted such dominance over the one performer experienced enough to understand his current state?