10 Must-See Matches That ALREADY Make 2018 Wrestling’s Greatest Ever Year
5. Kazuchika Okada Vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW Dontaku)
A magnificent finale to the headline career of Hiroshi Tanahashi, the last (and lasting) confirmation of Kazuchika Okada's position as New Japan's new 'Ace' put an entirely new spin on their legendary rivalry. Dominant through most portions of the contest, Okada was nonetheless spooked by some passing moments of magic from Tanahashi before taking hold of the battle and never really letting go.
Littered with callbacks, the contest was full of tension despite the stark contrast to their previous encounters in the overall body of the match. Okada scoring with a tombstone outside the ring put as much pressure on Tanahashi's neck as it did the pair to follow through on a long-held trope between them. Tanahashi has never defeated Okada on the occasions in which he's scored with that exact damage. Nor, pointedly, had he kicked out from the Rainmaker. Both things were loyally clung to, with the lone finisher enough to but a bullet in the iconic star once and for all.
Tanahashi's final counters before getting clobbered with the champion's deadly right arm were heartbreakingly ineffective - like the man himself no longer with the power to topple an opponent he once considered little more than a pretender to his throne.