A sixteen-year in-ring veteran of New Japan Pro Wrestling, Hiroshi Tanahashi isn't just the innovator of that "Sling Blade" clothesline that Finn Balor and Seth Rollins are fond of using. Rather, in being a charismatic performer who blends heavyweight wrestling with some really impressive athletic maneuvers, too, he's one of a clique of performers in New Japan that make this list because it's not that they have great matches, it's how artfully impressive these matches are that make them stand out. Tanahashi's 2015 is eerily similar to that of John Cena's year. For most of the year, he's been lurking on the midcard, having matches with a number of performers whose talents are oftentimes not well-showcased. By the recent G1 Climax tournament though, the one-time main event stalwart had a resurgence and defeated Japanese folk hero and internet darling wrestler Shinsuke Nakamura in the finals, winning a match for the IWGP Championship next January that he must defend for the rest of the year.
Besides having been an independent professional wrestling manager for a decade, Marcus Dowling is a Washington, DC-based writer who has contributed to a plethora of online and print magazines and newspapers writing about music and popular culture over the past 15 years.
