NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13: Every Match Ranked By Level Of Hype

Many will accuse my placement of this match at the top of this list as proof that I'm just a basement-dwelling ultra-smark who cares more about the potential of workrate than the actual story behind a match. To these cynics, I say: I'll have you know, my filthy, one-room apartment is on the third floor of a building. So, ha!

Seriously though, I feel like beyond the compliments armchair booker fans give to New Japan for its storytelling or how well it protects its champions, what has drawn so many people to this company's magic over the last few years is how it broke our bubbles regarding what could be a good match. NJPW stands now as a global signifier that not only is WWE's idea of what constitutes a 'great match' not the only standard, but is, in fact, a low bar in a world where so many others are raising theirs.

So here at Wrestle Kingdom 13, for the NEVER Openweight Championship, we will see two of the most acclaimed, death-defying, and outright dangerous wrestlers meet in a first time one-on-one dream encounter.

The fact that this will start the show puts a heavy weight on the rest of the matches on the card. I'm sure Wrestle Kingdom will be amazing as a whole, but with this match, we'll probably see some immediate comparisons to Bret vs. Owen for "Greatest Curtain Jerker of All Time."