16 Ups & 9 Downs For NJPW In 2018
14. The Age-Defying Minoru Suzuki
That feared catch wrestling sadist Minoru Suzuki is one of the best wrestlers in the world at 50 years old is borderline miraculous, and after a turgid 2017 that saw many a NEVER Openweight Championship scrap spoiled by overbooked bullsh*t, MiSu's 2018 will go down as one of his career's most fruitful years.
It started with a stiff, ugly Tokyo Dome scrap with Hirooki Goto, who reportedly insisted the madman legitimately concuss him to put the brutality over. From there, Suzuki reprised his feud with Hiroshi Tanahashi, wrestling a minimalist classic with The Ace at New Beginning in Sapporo, before dragging a surprisingly great match out of the increasingly decrepit Togi Makabe a month later. A strong G1 then yielded great, great battles with Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada, and Hangman Page, and Suzuki finished on a high, concluding his underrated feud with Tomohiro Ishii at Power Struggle in November.
Time will inevitably catch up with Suzuki. Until then, we must make the most of his violent delights. His torturous offense and impenetrable aura make him one of the most unique wrestlers on the planet, and while MiSu does have the odd dud in him (his 2018 bouts with Tetsuya Naito failed to impress), his high-level work is impeccable.