G1 Climax: Ranking The 9 Possible Finals

Hiroshi Tanahashi has had a long history with Tetsuya Naito. It's a rivalry that's not as pronounced as his battle for supremacy with Okada, but it's one that's played a large part in the development of both characters.

Back when Naito was the babyface 'Stardust Genius,' many pegged him as the eventual successor to Tanahashi. Both had similar movesets and finishers, and when Naito beat The Ace in the 2013 G1 Climax finals, it was seen as a changing of the guard. Unfortunately, Naito was rejected as a top face at the time, and instead of getting a grand coming out party at Wrestle Kingdom, fans voted him out of the main event in favor of Tanahashi's IC title match. From then on, Naito has resented Tanahashi, and has never let him forget that injustice. The two have fought excellent battles over the years, each trying to prove that they are the true people's champion.

A rematch of the 2013 final between Tanahashi and Naito would be both logical in booking and excellent in-ring. Now that Naito is the tranquillo leader of Los Ingobernables de Japon, he really does make a case for being more popular than Tanahashi. The Ace, meanwhile, has experienced a resurgence this G1, steamrolling over the competition and looking like he's in his prime at 41.

There's only one other rivalry that would be more exciting to revisit...