20 Absolute Best Wrestlers In The World Right Now

5. Shingo Takagi

The now-former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion would have stood a better chance of topping this list had it been compiled a month or so ago. Unfortunately, his output level has understandably declined in the wake of his Wrestle Kingdom defeat to Kazuchika Okada, with Shingo operating primarily in tag and multi-man bouts that don't allow him to showcase the full breadth of his abilities this since.

Nonetheless, Takagi was his usual explosive, domineering self in that Okada match, once again feeling like he belonged in the biggest spot his home promotion can realistically provide him with, against this era's poster child. Similarly, he was a firecracker in the great Los Ingobernables de Japon vs. Kongoh match on WK's third night, particularly in his incendiary exchanges with fellow list-maker Katsuhiko Nakajima. Their eventual singles match is going to be something else.

Shingo's value in current-day New Japan cannot be overstated. He is the one wrestler on the roster who appears completely immune to the drab clap-crowd atmosphere, which renders everything else less enjoyable by default. Not Takagi. His unyielding spirit, explosiveness, physicality, and intensity transcend all barriers, and his pure ability has never been in question.