10 Wrestlers We Wish Could Fight Forever
9. Tomohiro Ishii And Katsuyori Shibata
Over the past few years, Tomohiro Ishii has broken out as one of New Japan Pro Wrestling's most talented stars. His matches are similar, but all excellent, and they involve a lot of hard strikes and stiff slams. Watch any of his bouts, and you'll know why he always looks so grumpy.
Ishii's best opponent is Katsuyori Shibata, an equally-aggressive headkicking wrestler-turned-MMA-fighter-turned-wrestler who has redefined intensity in pro wrestling. The two had an incredible encounter in the 2013 G1 Climax tournament, but earlier this year, they engaged in a full-fledged feud over the NEVER Openweight Title that Ishii's made his own since 2014.
At Wrestle Kingdom, the two squared off in about as brutal a bout possible without the use of any weapons. After some vicious forearms, hard kicks, and some really inadvisable headbutts, Shibata claimed the championship, his first singles title in New Japan. They had a rematch at The New Beginning that was even better, with each man trying to one-up his opponent when it came to dishing out brutality. Whenever they cross paths again, fans will be watching.