110. Tomohiro Ishii vs. Shingo Takagi (NJPW G1 Climax 29)

Back when I first subscribed to NJPW World, I did my research and looked at lists of ‘Best of NJPW matches.’ I couldn’t just pick mates at random, could I?!?! From Meltzer’s ratings to Reddit subthreads, I scoured the Internet. Scrolling through my pictures the other day, I found a screenshot of a Reddit subthread. Funny_Cable_2697 gave his Top 10 NJPW matches in response to a thread about Okada/Omega IV being the greatest match ever. His GOAT match was Tanahashi vs Ibushi from G1 Climax 28. However, it was Shingo Tagaki vs Tomohiro Ishii from G1 Climax 29 that caught my eye

109. Kenny Omega (c) vs Chris Jericho (No DQ Match for the IWGP US Championship, NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12)

As soon as a famous wrestler leaves one promotion for another, it opens up a plethora of dream matches. When Chris Jericho left WWE in 2017, his first port of call was NJPW. His first opponent? Kenny Omega. A dream match, to be sure. But how would Jericho fit in to NJPW’s style? Omega strained the NJPW style to its limits, so to wouldn’t be a total clash of styles. And the No DQ stipulation made constructing a match a little easier. But would this dream match reap rewards? Sort of…

108. Chris Jericho (c) vs Tetsuo Naito (No DQ Match for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13)

Chris Jericho has wrestled in almost every wrestling promotion in his thirty-plus years of wrestling. After he left WWE in 2017, he had a short period wrestling for NJPW. His most famous bout there was against Kenny Omega (I will be watching and reviewing that soon!), but a year later at Wrestle Kingdom 13 he fought Tetsuo Naito in a No Disqualification match. No DQ matches are a rarity in NJPW, from what I can gather, so this one instantly caught my eye. Was it worth the watch?

107. Sting vs Antonio Inoki (NJPW BVD Cup Final 1995)

To torture myself, I watched the Meltzer rated -5* match between Sting snd Tony Palmore at NJPW BVD Cup 1995. To appreciate the good, you have to experience the bad. That was the semi-final of the BVD tournament, a faux-shoot wrestling tournament devised by Antonio Inoki. Of course, Inoki booked himself in the tournament. He won the other semi-final, giving us a dream match between Sting and Inoki. But this is far from the quality of a dream match…

101. Sting vs Tony Palmore (NJPW BVD Cup 1995)

After watching the abomination that was Hollywood Hulk Hogan vs The Warrior from WCW Halloween Havoc 1998, I was intrigued to see what other matches Dave Meltzer had rated as the worst matches ever. I was shocked when I came across NJPW in the -5* ratings! Yes, Meltzer is renowned for loving NJPW. Even more shocking, Sting was involved! The NJPW BVD Cup pitted Sting against…Tony Palmore (incorrectly billed as Tony Palumora on the NJPW World listing). Tony Palmore? You can be forgiven if you’ve never heard of him before. He’s a kickboxer, not a wrestler! This was a worked shoot tournament pitting wrestler against real fighter, the brainchild of Antonio Inoki (who also booked himself in the tournament). Was it really a -5* match though?

99. Kazuchika Okada vs Will Ospreay (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15)

After watching Okada/Ospreay in the final of the G1 Climax 32 (click here for my review), I went back to their bout at Wrestle Kingdom 15. This was not their first singles match together, but rather a non-title grudge match. Dave Meltzer rated it 5.25* (even with that rating, it still isn’t his highest rated bout of 2021!). Yes, I really enjoyed their G1 Climax bout…but it wasn’t a 5* classic. But I was sure they’d had at least one 5* classic in the past. Was this Wrestle Kingdom 15 bout that one? Well…yes!

98. Kazuchika Okada vs Will Ospreay (NJPW G1 Climax 32 Final)

The G1 Climax 32 reached its climax…so of course, I had to watch it! It culminated in Kazuchika Okada against Will Ospreay, with the victor earning a World title shot at Wrestle Kingdom 17. These two have a stories rivalry, with some much-loved bouts behind them (two of them, at Wrestle Kingdom 15 and 16, rated at above 5* by Dave Meltzer!). Would this be another 5*+ classic?

97. Kenny Omega vs Tetsuo Naito (NJPW G1 Climax 28 2018)

I just realised…I never finished the Naito/Onega G1 Climax trilogy! Their first bout, at G1 Climax 2016, was a five star classic (click here for my review). Their second bout, the following year, was great, but bloated and OTT (click here for my review. How would their third G1 Climax bout rate among those two much-loved bouts? Let’s just say it was my least favourite out of the three…

96. Tetsuo Naito vs Zack Sabre Jr (NJPW G1 Climax 32)

So, upon glancing at the schedule for the G1 Climax on 16/8, Tetsuo Naito vs Zack Sabre Jr. immediately caught my eye. How could I resist these two going head to head? I’d have thought they have fought before (will do research later on), but for now, this is all I have. How could I resist a clash of styles, the disciplined technician Sabre Jr. against the wild, unpredictable Naito? Well, I should have resisted. This bout only lasted a few minutes…

95. Will Ospreay vs Shingo Takagi (NJPW G1 Climax 32)

So, my first foray into the G1 Climax 32 left me disappointed. Tanahashi and KENTA contested a mediocre match. The only match I’ve heard a lot of hype about from the event thus far was between Will Ospreay and Shingo Takagi. Dave Metlser rated it 5.5 stars!!! I’m sure he rates matches over 5 stars just to rile to IWC up. But then again, if Spinal Tap can turn it up to 11, then Meltzee can do whatever he wants. While I thoroughly enjoyed the match, I wouldn’t class it as a 5 star match…