Top Ten Wrestle Kingdom Matches Ever

7. Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – Wrestle Kingdom 7

The first of three Wrestle Kingdom main events to be wrestled by these two men, Okada and Tanahashi capped off their year-long rivalry with a spectacular match.

Little did we know that these two men would continue their rivalry for over five more years, but at the time this was their third match together since Okada’s redebut a year earlier. Okada had caught the world off guard when he defeated Tanahashi with ease to win his first IWGP Heavyweight Championship in February 2012, and Tanahashi answered by defeating Okada in their rematch at Dominion. This was now the rubber match and no one performed better at Wrestle Kingdom than Hiroshi Tanahashi.

The storytelling in this match was masterful. Okada and Tanahashi were now both adequately prepared for the challenge set before them, but Okada became overwhelmed by the stage he was on. He began rushing his big moves and was countered as a result. Tanahashi was no stranger to the Wrestle Kingdom main event, having competed in the main event four times to this point and losing only once.

Tanahashi was in his element and his big match experience became Okada’s undoing. Once Tanahashi managed to get the upper hand the match was his for the taking. He countered all of Okada’s big moves and put him down with two High Fly Flows.

A tremendous match that was the culmination of the pair’s first trilogy of matches, but there was far more to come than anyone could imagine.

• new japan pro wrestling
• Wrestle Kingdom
• Hiroshi Tanahashi
• Kazuchika Okada
• NJPW
• Kenny Omega

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