NJPW: 20 Best Matches of 2023 (Part 2)
Five down, 15 to go in our countdown of NJPW’s top 20 matches from 2023. We have already seen bloody deathmatches, high-flying junior heavyweights, and heart-stopping tournament action, but there is still so much more to get through.
In this part, we will cover some of the most exciting title matches of the year, crazy stipulation matches, and bouts that saw New Japan team up with other Japanese promotions. My name is Sam Palmer from Vendetta Sports Media, and here is part two of our countdown of NJPW’s best matches of the past 12 months.
15. Hiroshi Tanahashi & CHAOS vs. United Empire [NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship] – Road to Tokyo Dome (Day 1):
The latest addition to the list sees the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championships get some love for the first time in what seems like forever. The six-man belts have often been seen as an afterthought in New Japan, typically being the titles to change hands most often as a way to pop the crowd by having a title change on the card.
However, in 2023, the belts landed around the waists of Tomohiro Ishii, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada. The three legends of NJPW took the belts off of Strong Style early in the year, and their final defense of the year ended up being one of the most exciting bouts the company booked. The story of Aaron Henare over the past 12 months has been truly special, and his closing stretch with Ishii is truly a sight to behold. Let’s hope the champions can produce more of this in the next 12 months.
14. Kazuchika Okada, Kenoh & Yuma Aoyagi vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kaito Kiyomiya & Kento Miyahara – NJPW/AJPW/NOAH All Together Again:
It seems like an alien concept in the West to have the biggest companies in a particular country work together, but in Japan, it’s very common. New Japan has teamed up with Pro Wrestling NOAH on multiple occasions over the past few years, and in 2023, All Japan Pro Wrestling, a company that had something of a resurgence last year, got in on the action. In June, NJPW, AJPW and NOAH teamed up for a huge card at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, and its main event did not disappoint.
All three companies put their top stars in a huge trios match that saw Kazuchika Okada, NOAH’s Kenoh and AJPW’s Yuma Aoyagi face Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kaito Kiyomiya and Kento Miyahara. Rivalries from different companies crossed paths, including Okada wanting to kick Kiyomiya square in the face for sheer fun of it. While nothing is on the line in terms of championships, it’s an easy watch with a hot crowd and six of Japan’s most popular performers do what they do best.
13. Shingo Takagi vs. Aaron Henare [Ultimate Triad Match for the NJPW KOPW 2023 Provisional Championship] – Road to Sakura Genesis (Day 2):
The King of Pro Wrestling Championship is one of NJPW’s most unique creations in recent years: It’s a title that is defended all year, but only the person holding the crown at the end of the year gets crowned champion. Each match has a stipulation that can range from MMA rules and Last Man Standing, to “Whiskey Bottle Ladder Matches” and No. 13 entry: The Ultimate Triad.
In the lead-up to Sakura Genesis, Shingo Takagi put his KOPW crown on the line in a match where he and Henare could only win the match if they scored a pinfall, a submission and a knockout. This stipulation would be expanded to the “Takagi Triad” which had two extra falls added, but this match was a test of endurance that was the highlight of Henare and Shingo’s trilogy of hard-hitting matches in 2023.
12. Bishamon vs. Aussie Open [IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship] – Sakura Genesis:
While Bishamon has established itself as one of New Japan’s most dominant duos, there was no tag team in the first six months of 2023 with more momentum behind them than the Aussie Open. Injuries and the COVID-19 pandemic had halted any long-form run Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis had going for them over the past few years, but this year, nothing could stop them.
Fletcher and Davis had firmly cemented themselves as the tag team to look out for in 2023 after cameos in AEW and a legendary match in 2022 against FTR, and despite Fletcher nearly knocking himself out with a moonsault to the outside, there was nothing that was going to stop Aussie Open from winning gold this year. Their Sakura Genesis match against Bishamon was the best match from NJPW’s best show of the year, so it had to belong on the list.
11. Kazuchika Okada vs. Shingo Takagi [IWGP World Heavyweight Championship] – The New Beginning in Osaka:
Many people were surprised to see Shingo Takagi left off the main portion of Wrestle Kingdom 17, as was the man himself, so when Okada defeated Jay White in the main event, The Dragon made it clear he wanted gold. Okada defeated Shingo in the main event of the previous Wrestle Kingdom, so he knew that he could win, but the question was would he?
Acting as the main event for the first major event after Wrestle Kingdom 17, this IWGP World Heavyweight Championship set the bar extremely high for all title matches going forward. It reminded people why Shingo Takagi should be around the main event scene more often, and that Kazuchika Okada with a fresh new ‘I don’t care about anyone’s health’ attitude would have been a great main event attraction.
THAT’S THE END OF PART 1! Stay tuned to Vendetta Sports Media to find out what we think is the best NJPW match of 2023! See you then!
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