10 Superstars' Best Matches Oustide Of WWE

When Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura clashed at Wrestle Kingdom 10, it was obvious that the in-ring mastermind Styles had become accustomed to Japan's barbaric 'strong style'. How he managed to survive this encounter with Minoru Suzuki, however, is anyone's guess.

Minoru Suzuki is as close to hellspawn as a wrestler can be. He's always been intimidating, but he's not just a scary face. He has mastered catch-style wrestling and always looks like he is genuinely trying to dismember his opponent. He does plenty of that in this match. What's more surprising about this match is how much punishment AJ dishes out. One of his low kicks almost buckles Suzuki's leg, and he stands toe-to-toe in every exchange. When Suzuki is trying to rip Styles' ankle off, Styles counters and comes right back with an ankle lock of his own. After masterfully avoiding the Gotch-Style Piledriver, it was the Styles Clash that won the day.

This is the kind of encounter that the G1 Climax is all about. AJ was prepared to lose a finger just to maintain his position in the tournament. 4.75 stars from Dave Meltzer, and thoroughly deserved.