10 Must-See Matches That ALREADY Make 2018 Wrestling’s Greatest Ever Year
3. The Golden Lovers Vs. The Young Bucks (NJPW Strong Style Evolved)
A glorious chapter in a story still being told, the doubles main event borne largely out of 'Being The Elite' and Bullet Club banter was a crucial reminder that exceptional professional wrestling still underpins the front-of-house comedy and commercialism that errantly defines much of the work done by Kenny Omega and The Jackson brothers in 2018.
All-too-aware that gimmicks sell t-shirts but characters sell tickets, The Young Bucks and The Golden Lovers have somehow managed to walk a tightrope between both, with the evocative reunion between Kota Ibushi and Omega a carefully crafted conclusion to the first act of a larger arc between 'The Best Bout Machine' and Bullet Club leadership rival Cody Rhodes.
With Matt and Nick Jackson caught in the middle, a match featuring the three friends and 'The Cleaner's life partner Kota came in-built with enormous expectations. The four confounded them with a doubles duel that benefitted as much from the multi-layered story as it did each man's incredible prowess. Flips were in high supply of course (including a horribly botched one by Ibushi that the cameras thankfully didn't dwell on - imagine that, WWE), but the drama came as much from Omega's care for Matt's bad back as it did the match-winning (and heart-wrenching) Golden Trigger.
The group deserve their 'All In' sellout success for a myriad of reasons, but matches such as these were powerful, universe-enhancing checkpoints that all promised quality contests alongside the nudge-and-wink Sports Entertainment likely on show.