10 Ups & 4 Downs From NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14

4. Two Old Masters

Chris Jericho vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi promised one of Wrestle Kingdom 14's most interesting outcomes, given the implications.

Victory would mean an AEW World Championship shot for the 'High-Flying Star.' Jericho brought the belt to the Tokyo Dome, the announcers put it over huge, and Tana fought like he wanted it. The stipulation not only added much-needed juice to a build that had tapered off after the first angle but bred hopes of an AEW/NJPW alliance, and these political implications added an extra layer of intrigue until eventually, and perhaps inevitably, Jericho put the icon away. For now, the working relationship must wait.

The bout itself was fabulous. This was two old masters of the craft ageing gracefully, squeezing as much life as possible from every single spot.

Jericho, the older of the two, has adapted perfectly. Flashes of the old him permeate his work but he plays the washed-up, brawling rockstar who still thinks he's the man perfectly. His in-ring character work is sublime, as is Tanahashi's, but their sharpness and coordination deserve a shout-out too: 'The Painmaker' crushing a flying Tana with a Codebreaker was so, so smooth.

One of Jericho's best bouts since leaving WWE, this was up there with the Kenny Omega and Tetsuya Naito bouts. Here's to more Old Man Jericho in NJPW.