G1 Climax: Every Modern Final Ranked

A prominent part of most big New Japan matches is their deliberately methodical pace. It's a crescendo that starts off slow and small before becoming big and explosive in front of a raucous crowd. Kenny Omega and Tetsuya Naito got together and said, "What if we did everything except that first part?"

If you're someone who craves the anarchistic athleticism and lightning speed of a junior heavyweight bout in a top-tier heavyweight bout, last year's G1 Climax Final is for you. Omega and Naito leave it all in the ring and out, and there are points where you fear for their safety, including a botched piledriver onto an announce table where Omega accidentally hits his head on the floor.

That kind of violence is forgiven though, as the crowd are absolutely molten throughout. This was Naito's ultimate ascendance as he finally became a man of the people and overcame Omega to win his second G1. It's a wild, emotional, bout that was one of four matches that year to break Dave Meltzer's star rating system, earning a 5.75 rating. The others, of course, were the classic Okada-Omega trilogy. Were it not for those matches, this likely would have been voted Match of the Year, because it's right up there with one of the best of all time.