10 Most Important Matches In Modern Wrestling History
9. Hiroshi Tanahashi Vs. Minoru Suzuki - NJPW King Of Pro Wrestling 2012
Back before the scale was broken and the inflation that followed, people paid attention when Dave Meltzer awarded this match *****. This rating formalised, to fans in the west, that NJPW had arrived as the best promotion on the globe.
After a barren period in the 2000s, during which only seven matches were awarded the "maximum", Tanahashi Vs. Suzuki was the third match of the 2010s to earn a fiver. For many, this was the entry point to New Japan - and the story of modern pro wrestling cannot be told without the profound influence of the resurgence era. Jon Moxley, the first major direct WWE to AEW "jumper", was of those many.
In a more philosophical way, this match can also be considered a reset point for the very form.
It was as disciplined a match as you'll ever see: there were no near-falls, no easy dramatic shortcuts, and their combined brilliance extracted a mega-pop from a mere dropkick that perfected the idea of the "when" to do a move. And, because Tanahashi had rediscovered the idea of fair and pure competition, he created a platform on which an act like the Bullet Club could make US-style interference, the sort of thing you see every week, a real transgression all over again.
And, of course, the Bullet Club, a zombified husk these days, were instrumental in changing the landscape. The Bullet Club mutated constantly, and, at least until around 2018, extended its tendrils into virtually everything of significance. The group elevated ROH to record business. The Bullet Club Elite created All In, drawing the attention of AEW founder Tony Khan. Even WWE, impressed by AJ Styles, broke its NXT policy and installed him as a key player on the main roster immediately - before which Finn Bálor was not insignificant in building the TakeOver brand as an arena-sized concern.
He wasn't the most significant player in the story, however...