10 Things You Need To Know About Minoru Suzuki
3. He Was In One Of The Best Matches Of All Time
By 2011, Suzuki was in New Japan full time. After leading members of Satoshi Kojima's Kojimagun stable in a mutiny, he took over the group and rechristened it Suzukigun. Suzuki remained dominant, and at Wrestle Kingdom VI, he unsuccessfully challenged Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Title.
Still, Suzuki's journey to the belt wasn't over. In the 2012 G1 Climax tournament, he scored a victory over Tanahashi, and as "The High-Flying Star" was still IWGP Champion, that put him in line for a title shot. The two battled at October's King of Pro-Wrestling event in a bout that completely outdid their Wrestle Kingdom main event.
It was a hard-hitting war, as from the outset, it was clear that Suzuki had no interest in Tanahashi's air guitar or similar games. Both men fought their hearts out for nearly half an hour, but in the end, Tanahashi was once again victorious. Wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer described the bout as better than the legendary Flair-Steamboat series and said it was possibly the best match he had ever seen.