10 NJPW Matches To Watch Before AEW Forbidden Door

The two top stars in NJPW have faced each other in 15 singles matches since 2010. Eight of those matches have been for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Three of them have been in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom. This is the first of those three main events.

While he was still a Young Lion, Okada lost to Tanahashi in his last match before excursion. After an ill-fated run in TNA, Okada returned at Wrestle Kingdom 6 in 2012 and defeated YOSHI-HASHI. Tanahashi main-evented that show, beating Minoru Suzuki to retain his heavyweight title. Okada appeared after the main event to challenge Tanahashi to a title match, and Osaka bore witness to 'The Rainmaker Shock' as Okada won the title at New Beginning.

Tanahashi regained the title at Dominion, before Okada won his first G1 Climax to set up a rematch between the two at the Tokyo Dome. Tanahashi, now knowing the challenge Okada presents, goes into this match fully prepared for the challenge of the Rainmaker, and both men have to up their game compared to their previous matches. This is all about seeing which man is truly the ace of New Japan, and might just be the best match of their storied rivalry.