10 Wrestlers Who Remained Great Past 45
5. Yuji Nagata
Blue Justice was the lead star of New Japan’s Third Generation where he held the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for 12 months. As phenomenal as Nagata’s wrestling was, he, like everyone else in New Japan at the time, was horrendously hampered by Inokiism.
Nagata remained a key figure in New Japan for years but rarely ascended the mountain as New Japan focused on new talents Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shinsuke Nakamura. Frequently rocking the house with his stiff, strong style matches, Nagata engaged in blood feuds with the likes of Minoru Suzuki, Kurt Angle, Masato Tanaka and Katsuyori Shibata well into his 40s.
At 49, Nagata competed in his final G1 Climax. Full of heart and intensity, Nagata also proved he was still a superb athlete, putting together ferocious battles with everyone from Tomohiro Ishii to Zack Sabre Jr.
By the end of his tournament, Nagata had racked up very few wins but plenty of show stealing performances. Greeted with a standing ovation from audiences, the New Japan Dojo coach had reminded everyone of the staggering magnitude of his talents.
If last year’s New Japan Cup bout with Tomohiro Ishii is anything to go by, Nagata may well have great matches into his 60s.