Ranking NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom 11 Matches From Worst To Best
3. KUSHIDA Vs Hiromu Takahashi
One of the hottest IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship matches in years, KUSHIDA took on the returning Hiromu Takahashi (formerly Kamaitachi) in a phenomenal battle, featuring boots and ring attire that would make even the Young Bucks jealous.
A breakout performance for Takahashi, the match did exactly what it needed to and more, with KUSHIDA working hard to make 'The Ticking Time Bomb' look like a million bucks in his title win. Takahashi dominated the majority of this one before getting overconfident and nearly killing himself on a crazy dive to the outside, with the match going from a battle of skill and who could be the most athletic, to pure tenacity in the closing moments as the two talented cruiserweights went toe-to-toe in a glorious final stretch.
The extended spot where KUSHIDA had Takahashi trapped in the Hoverboard Lock was incredibly dramatic and effective, making 'The Ticking Time Bomb' look like KUSHIDA's biggest threat to date. It took everything Takahashi had to battle out of the submission and hit KUSHIDA with everything but the kitchen sink to pick up the win.
A fantastic match with the right outcome, which sets up the junior heavyweight division for an exciting 2017.