10 Matches For The Ultimate NJPW Vs. AEW Supercard

4. Chris Jericho Vs. Kota Ibushi

Okada Omega
James Musselwhite/AEW/NJPW

Chris Jericho excels in this Painkiller Era as a guy who can both keep up with and outsmart the younger, faster generation of talent.

It is character work so excellent that he is able to put himself over as a real, very credible World Champion at the apex of a career in which he was always considered something more transitional. Still, there’s a sense that he doesn’t transition between submission spots quite as well as he does between personas; he is at his best when pummelling reckless opponents with his new, intense, smoke-and-mirrors brawling-heavy style.

Enter Kota Ibushi, pro wrestling’s preeminent masochist.

His crazed bumping style lends itself wonderfully to Jericho’s authentically brutal heat spot. A match similar in style to Jericho’s expert war opposite Tetsuya Naito at Wrestle Kingdom 13—but this perhaps would be even more heart-wrenching, since Ibushi is somehow even more unhinged. That’s debatable; what isn’t is how awesome it would be, were Ibushi to enter his badass sh*t-kicker mode at Jericho’s raised middle finger.

Ibushi would sell the Judas Effect by moonsaulting directly onto the back of his skull, which would further put it over as wrestling’s most improbably effective finish.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!