Top 10 New Japan Matches Of 2020 So Far

3. Hiromu Takahashi vs. Will Ospreay – Wrestle Kingdom 14

Hiromu Takahashi and Will Ospreay have always had spectacular in-ring chemistry spanning from their lack of fear and willingness to do anything to win. Their match during this year’s Wrestle Kingdom was no exception. Going into the match, there was already a lot of excitement surrounding the bout. Hiromu had returned only a few months earlier after sustaining a career-threatening injury in 2018 and this was his shot to win back the title he had never lost.

But, Ospreay was not going to let the title go that easily. As expected, both men threw caution to the win and went full throttle with no care for possible injuries or consequences. If it was possible, it seemed like both wrestler’s styles were even more reckless and dangerous than ever before. That didn’t even factor in the added power from a bulkier Ospreay.

The match was a perfect showcase of what New Japan’s Jr division could do. There was a starting sequence of reversals that resembled a choreographed dance, standing Spanish fly’s, monkey wall flip kicks and a lot of dives outside of the ring. It was wild and unpredictable with both men managing to kick out of their opponent’s finishers.

In the end, at just under the 25-minute mark, Hiromu managed to hit Ospreay with Ticking Time Bomb II to get the win. It was the perfect way to mark Hiromu’s return to New Japan and was a feel-good moment for Hiromu and his fans across the world.

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2. Tomohiro Ishii vs. Hiromu Takahashi – New Japan Cup Night – July 2, 2020

Despite the two men in this match being as humanly different to each other as possible, Hiromu Takahashi and Tomohiro Ishii managed to put on a potential Match of the Year. If it hadn’t been for the more diverse New Japan Cup line-up, then fans may not have seen this match for a long time.

The match started in the centre of the ring with both men trading heavy forearms and strikes. Even with the size difference between the two, both Hiromu and Ishii held their own in the ring refusing to back down no matter what their opponent threw at them. It was the true battle of Heavyweight vs. Jr Heavyweight.

As expected, Hiromu flew around the ring recklessly with no regard for his safety diving outside of the ring and hitting Reverse-Ranas. However, Ishii always had some sort counter whether it was countering moves with suplexes or throwing even more palm strikes at the Ticking Time Bomb. For most of the match, it seemed as if the Stone Pitbull was on his way to another win and a spot in the New Japan Cup semi-final.

Surprisingly, after a brutal match that lasted just under 20 minutes, Hiromu managed to hit his Time Bomb II to get the win over Ishii. It looked like a battle between David and Goliath with the smaller man coming out on top. It is also a match-up that many fans would gladly watch again.

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1. Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada – Wrestle Kingdom 14

Unsurprisingly, considering the build-up to the double belt dash at this Wrestle Kingdom this year, was it any surprise that the main event match between Kazuchika Okada and Tetsuya Naito was a MOTY. With both the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental titles on the line, it was all or nothing.

From the second the bell rang, the match was fast-paced and intense to the extent that, if you blinked, you would have miss something. It was a mixture of high flying, high risk and technical wrestling. We got to see aspects of both men’s offence that we had not seen in a long-time including Naito’s Stardust Press.

What was so good about this match was the versatility we saw from the two athletes. With Okada, we saw both the overconfident Rainmaker but also this unchained and slightly crazy Okada many last saw after he’d lost the title to Kenny Omega in 2018. Naito was similar in the sense that he was sometimes calm and Tranquilo but then switched to pure intensity and fire which rivaled the Young Lions.

What made it an even better match was the ending. It was obvious that Naito was a crowd favourite and with one final Destino, Naito fulfilled his potential and got retribution from losing his main event spot at Wrestle Kingdom 8 and the loss to Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 12. Even with KENTA ruining the fairy tale ending, it was a moment that will go down in New Japan history.

What was your favourite New Japan Pro Wrestling match of the year? Let us know on Twitter!

• Tetsuya Naito
• new japan pro wrestling
• Kazuchika Okada
• NJPW

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