Written by: Super Mastodon (@SuperMastodon)
The 2010’s is quite possibly the most successful decade for New Japan Pro Wrestling. Especially from an international growth stand point, the company has sealed itself as the second biggest wrestling promotion in the entire world behind the massive machine that is the WWE. It is also in this decade where I started to watch the promotion religiously and would become a big fan in the process, dedicating a lot of my time in something that I enjoy.
But what sets NJPW apart from a lot of its competition is the focus on storytelling inside the ring. Every match even down to the fillers or whatever placement it is on the card feels like it matters, this is thanks to the bookers for calculating every step of the way but it wouldn’t be possible without the ones active in the roles which are the wrestlers themselves.
This decade NJPW has seen an influx of talent whether it be their home grown dojo alumni or foreign wrestlers choosing to compete for the promotion. What is the criteria for choosing the best wrestlers of this decade? Well obviously match qualities come in to play heavily, memorable moments, what they’ve accomplished in terms of championships and tournament wins, and overall impact that helped in the promotion’s growth over the last 10 years.
Narrowing down to just 10 wrestlers has been a difficult task for me but I think I was able to make a respectable list and here I am sharing it to you.
So with all that being said, let us get right in to it and rank the 10 greatest wrestlers for NJPW over the concluding decade!
Honorable Mentions:
Before we get to the official list, here are some honorable mentions that are just way too good to be left out completely and left their mark on the company during the 2010’s.
Hiromu Takahashi – Brought the junior heavyweight division to new heights ever since his return from excursion in 2016.
Will Ospreay – Arguably the wrestler of the year in 2019 for his consistent match quality. Another highlight of the junior heavyweights as well since making his NJPW debut in 2016.
Karl Anderson – Nowadays The Machine Gun is often forgotten because of his minimal role in the WWE but back in New Japan, Karl Anderson was one of the integral parts of the Bullet Club and a great in-ring performer as well, whether as a singles or tag-team wrestler. Deserves a lot more recognition than he gets.
Tomohiro Ishii – The Stone Pitbull really broke out of his cage the past few years, Ishii is one of the most consistent parts of the roster in terms of bringing out quality match one after another, dare I say even better than some of the ones in the official list. Elevated the NEVER Openweight division to what it is now, a hard hitting stiff action-packed belt.
Hirooki Goto – Had an excellent decade winning multiple championships and tournaments while being a top notch performer as well. Sadly Goto could never quite win “the big one” and it looks like those days are over, for now at least.
Minoru Suzuki – He’d kill me if I don’t put him in here. Plus despite his age, Suzuki is still one of the best in the world.
Zack Sabre Jr. – The 2010’s have been a breakout decade for ZSJ’s career especially in NJPW. He has already challenged for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship before and will likely won’t be the final time. Also solidified RevPro’s partnership with NJPW.
KUSHIDA – The unsung Ace of the junior heavyweights, KUSHIDA is an underrated wrestler and should get more recognition for his work, especially in New Japan.
EVIL and SANADA – It’s hard to separate these two, ever since LIJ was formed they have been on equal footing although this year alone SANADA has gained more momentum and is seen as the bigger prospect than the two but for now both men are pretty much on the same trajectory.
Shingo Takagi – Been great since his debut as a member of LIJ, the former Dragon Gate superstar has transitioned well in NJPW.
Juice Robinson – Went to train in the New Japan Dojo after departing ways with the WWE and is now one of the best gaijins on the roster.
The Young Bucks – The tag-team division in both the heavyweights and juniors have been the lowest points in NJPW but one of the few that were consistently entertaining parts of it were The Young Bucks. Record 7x IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag-Team Champions.
Guerrillas of Destiny – If the Bucks were the dominant team of the junior heavyweight tag-team division for their entire run there, GoD deserves a mention as for the heavyweights. Reigning 5x IWGP Tag-Team Champions.
#10 – Prince Devitt
Accomplishments:
3x IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion
4x IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag-Team Champion
Best of the Super Juniors XX Winner (2013)
Starting off our official list we got Prince Devitt. This entire decade can pretty much be summed up in to two words: Bullet Club. Whether you love them or hate them, it cannot be undermined the influence of BC throughout the 2010’s and it is all thanks to this man who started it all. Before creating the most dominant faction in wrestling history since the nWo however, Devitt had a successful run in the junior heavyweight division both as a singles and tag-team, winning the tag-team titles four times since the start of the decade most notably with Ryusuke Taguchi as “Apollo 55.” It was his betrayal to Taguchi in which the roots of the Bullet Club can be traced, a band of misfits who felt like they are being treated as outsiders so they formed together in what would become a massive faction that even exceeded the brand they compete in. Other founding members are Bad Luck Fale, Karl Anderson, and Tama Tonga as we all know as years go by they would grow in numbers and even with the departure of Devitt to the WWE, they’d still be a dominant force in NJPW. At Kizuna Road 2013 was perhaps the biggest match of Devitt’s New Japan run when he faced Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship as the reigning IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion.
Just take this into consideration, if it wasn’t for Prince Devitt we wouldn’t have had so many other significant things the past years and made the careers of so many wrestlers that would follow. Names such as AJ Styles, Kenny Omega, and Jay White among many others have used the Bullet Club fame to their advantage and a whole new promotion: All Elite Wrestling was born out of the stable’s popularity because of its founding members. The other ones in the honorable mentions may have had a lot more to offer in terms of accomplishments and in-ring quality matches but not many can top the overall impact Devitt left not only in NJPW but in the entire wrestling industry as a whole.
#9 – Jay White
Accomplishments:
IWGP Heavyweight Champion
IWGP Intercontinental Champion
IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Champion
It’s a little odd but majority of the 2010’s Jay White has either spent as a young lion or in excursion in ROH. Ever since his return however, he was already presented as one of the top stars of the roster in 2017. In his comeback back at Wrestle Kingdom 12 he challenged Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, the match itself was deemed as a disappointment and it seems like “he was pushed too soon” was going to be the narrative for White’s career but it wouldn’t take long before The Switchblade would cut his way through the rest of the roster and staple himself as a deserving contender for years to come. Starting out by declining the personal invitation from Kenny Omega to join Bullet Club and he would instead become a member of CHAOS led by Okada. It was obvious from the start that he only joined them to get closer to the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. He would end up becoming the second IWGP US Heavyweight Champion defeating Kenny Omega at the New Beginning in Sapporo in 2018, successfully defend the belt three times before dropping it to Juice Robinson after 160 days at the G1 Special in San Francisco. Soon thereafter, to the surprise of no one Switchblade ended up betraying CHAOS and would join forces with Bullet Club along with Gedo who turned on Okada and found his new “golden boy” in Jay White. Ever since The Switchblade has been named as the new leader of BC he’s been more successful, becoming IWGP Heavyweight Champion for the first time upsetting Hiroshi Tanahashi in his first defense earlier in the year and headlining Madison Square Garden at the G1 Supercard in a losing effort to Okada. He would eventually bounce back reaching the finals in the G1 Climax and right now is the reigning IWGP Intercontinental Champion entering the upcoming Wrestle Kingdom 14.
In a short amount of time, Jay White has turned his career around and became one of the top heels, if not the best villain, in pro wrestling today. His run at the top has roughly been about for three years only but him already being a triple crown champion and beating all the top superstars of the roster is enough to grant him a spot in the top 10 of the decade.
#8 – Katsuyori Shibata
Accomplishments:
3x NEVER Openweight Champion
IWGP Tag-Team Champion
RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Champion
New Japan Cup 2017 Winner
World Tag League 2014 Winner
The 2010’s have both rejuvenated Katsuyori Shibata’s pro wrestling career and also led to its unfortunate demise. For a long time Shibata was seen as a “traitor” to NJPW. Him, Tanahashi, and Nakamura were from the same dojo class and were seen as the next top prospects of the company being dubbed as the “New Three Musketeers” in tribute to the original incarnation of Keiji Mutoh, Masahiro Chono, and Shinya Hashimoto in the 90’s. That’s how much potential they saw in those three but during the rough times in the 2000’s under the Inokism regime where MMA fighters and wrestlers with martial arts background were prioritized over actual professional wrestlers thanks to Antonio Inoki’s obsession with the sport, Shibata left to become a freelancer and went on to wrestle for other promotions most notably NOAH and Big Mouth Loud (BML.) This would leave a bad taste in the mouths of many New Japan wrestlers who stayed loyal during the twilight years of the company in the 2000’s including Hiroshi Tanahashi. Shibata would make his return in 2012 and alongside MMA icon Kazushi Sakuraba as Laughter7 while also still competing in NOAH where he continued a tag-team run with KENTA. Around 2014 is where he became a full-time member of the New Japan roster, one of the biggest highlight matches of his career often gets overlooked nowadays and it was against his rival and eventually friend: Hiroshi Tanahashi at G1 Climax 24. Just the history between those two, culminating in a single match is what made it all worth it, the great in-ring performance was just an added bonus. As we all know though Shibata would be best known for elevating the NEVER Openweight division. The true purpose of the belt earlier on upon its inception was supposed to be a title for young prospects but eventually it would be molded into what it is now, a championship for hard hitting stiff strikes action. Shibata is one of the main reasons as to why it has turned into that due to his gut wrenching offense and his match ups against the likes of Tomohiro Ishii, Minoru Suzuki, and Hirooki Goto really set the bar for the NEVER Openweight bouts. Speaking of Goto he would also win the WTL 2014 with him and win the IWGP Tag-Team Championships the following year at Wrestle Kingdom against Gallows and Anderson.
Then in 2017 Shibata was set on a much bigger path, he would win that year’s New Japan Cup and faced Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Sakura Genesis. In what was one of the greatest matches of the entire decade, Shibata loss but it wouldn’t have been the last shot he would have for the title. At least that’s what we all thought as it would be the final match of his career so far. We all know what happened afterwards, years of pain brought upon in his body due to his dangerous style, especially the headbutts took their toll. There were even talks of his life being in danger at one point but The Wrestler did not waver and continued on, eventually coming back in the ring for the finals of the G1 Climax 2017 announcing that he was very much alive, quite possibly one of the most emotional moments ever in New Japan history. Now Shibata is the head trainer of the LA Dojo, a lot of his students have been very successful and have a bright future ahead of them, notable example would be Karl Fredericks being the first gaijin to win the Young Lion Cup tournament this year. From being seen as someone who left the company high and dry to being a beloved and respected fighter, Katsuyori Shibata’s in-ring career is likely over but his influence and legacy will forever be felt in the landscape of New Japan.
#7 – Shinsuke Nakamura
Accomplishments:
IWGP Heavyweight Champion
5x IWGP Intercontinental Champion
New Japan Cup 2014 Winner
G1 Climax 2011 Winner
As 2010 entered so did a new phase for Shinsuke Nakamura’s career. Gone was the bland fighter gimmick and The King of Strong Style was born. It definitely helped alter his stand in the wrestling business and push his way as one of the most prominent superstars not only in NJPW but in the entire industry. In 2009 he founded the CHAOS stable and would continue to lead them on throughout the rest of his stay in New Japan. Entering the decade Nakamura was also the reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion in his third reign and successfully defended it three times in 2010 before losing it to Togi Makabe, the leader of Great Bash Heel in which a majority of his troops in CHAOS were from originally. But the one title that made Nakamura’s final years in NJPW significant was the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. Initially the title was supposed to be a belt for gaijins, similar to what the US Title is now but it would evolve into the secondary championship only behind the Heavyweight title. The key player into making the belt as prestigious as it is now is Nakamura. He really made the belt into a prized possession and wasn’t just an afterthought. Nakamura still holds the record for being the 5x IWGP Intercontinental Champion and with a total combined reign of 901 days! His matches against the likes of AJ Styles, Kota Ibushi, Hirooki Goto, and Hiroshi Tanahashi just to name a few really solidified the belt as something worth fighting for.
At this point of his career, similar to his old rival and friend Tanahashi, Nakamura is already a respected veteran of the roster. Not only did his fellow wrestlers respected him but the fans as well. He has been through so much and has suffered during the Inokism years, for him to see the company he stayed loyal to despite the dark times and witness it to prosper and become an internationally renowned promotion, it must feel good in some way for him. Him and Tanahashi blazed the trail for the eventual success NJPW is currently experiencing right now. If it wasn’t for them, the company would have likely died or at least the roster would never be the same. In his final Wrestle Kingdom match, he put on an instant classic against AJ Styles for the aforementioned IC Title. His last match with the company was in a six man tag along with his CHAOS stable mates Kazuchika Okada and Tomohiro Ishii against Tanahashi, Shibata, and Goto. Nakamura may be gone from the company now and is enjoying his place in the WWE, but he will forever remain as one of the most integral parts of New Japan forever even in his final years with the company, being able to take them to newer and better heights in the process.
#6 – Kota Ibushi
Accomplishments:
IWGP Intercontinental Champion
NEVER Openweight Champion
2x IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag-Team Champion
G1 Climax 2019 Winner
New Japan Cup 2015 Winner
Best of the Super Juniors XVIII Winner (2011)
It’s been quite an interesting ride for Kota Ibushi. Majority of the decade he was a freelancer, particularly sharing his time with both NJPW and DDT. Earlier on he was wrestling in the junior heavyweights division both as a singles and tag-team act. Him and Kenny Omega were pretty much on the same path, together The Golden Lovers really defined a lot of the decade even when they were set apart. They won the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag-Team Championships in 2010 and even defended them twice successfully in DDT before eventually losing them to Apollo 55. We all know what would happen at some point, Kenny would go on his own towards greener pastures and become a part of the Bullet Club while Ibushi was left behind, while still making waves in DDT and New Japan, his friend or lover if you will, was gone. Upon his move to the heavyweights division however and his return in the G1 Climax 2017 it seems like Ibushi was focused towards a run in NJPW. That he did and success followed. Him and Kenny were always on different paths until when Bullet Club finally imploded under The Cleaner’s leadership, they found love once again. In what was arguably the most emotional moment in NJPW the entire decade, The Golden Lovers’ reunion still gives me chills just thinking about it. To see a storyline come full circle in such a big stage was all worth it for all the build and effort both Ibushi and Kenny have put into it.
The assessment on Ibushi was that he was always projected as a main eventer but always did things his own way, which is why NJPW never fully committed to him. When Kenny left once again, Ibushi was alone with no one to count on to but himself. He signed a contract with NJPW and trusted in his capabilities to finally become the Golden Star he was always meant to be. In the WTL 2018 Finals he defeated Hirooki Goto for the NEVER Openweight Championship but would lose the belt to Will Ospreay at Wrestle Kingdom 12. Then at the G1 Supercard in his first match at Madison Square Garden, he defeated Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship before dropping it back to him after only one successful defense against ZSJ. Finally at this year’s G1 Climax, Ibushi defied all odds by beating “Switchblade” Jay White in the finals and win the G1 for the first time, headlining the Tokyo Dome next year in what will be the biggest match of his career. It seemed like everything was directionless for him in the beginning but now the goal is clear for Kota Ibushi and that is to finally become the Ace he is supposed to be.
#5 – AJ Styles
Accomplishments:
2x IWGP Heavyweight Champion
RevPro British Heavyweight Champion
I gotta be honest the reason why I became an NJPW fan to begin with was because of AJ Styles. I have followed AJ pretty much his entire TNA run, he was always one of my favorite non-WWE wrestlers and to see him leave the company he has worked on for 12 years and start a new run in a promotion I was familiar with but don’t know much about, it definitely left me intrigued. The best career move he has probably made as well as he was treated like a major superstar right from the get-go, in fact in his debut match he defeated Kazuchika Okada to become IWGP Heavyweight Champion, the most prestigious belt in the entire company. Even TNA never had that level of faith in AJ but NJPW clearly respected his talents and it was all worth it as in his short time there, he was able to lead and take Bullet Club into a much larger entity in terms of popularity since the departure of Prince Devitt. Yes I know it is with The Elite era where BC really prospered monetarily, but in terms of massive international exposure, it was under AJ Styles’ leadership that they gained all of that while also being successful as a whole as there was a point in time where they held all the major championships at the same time and they grew in numbers, tightening the bond and really cementing the Bullet Club’s status as the biggest and greatest faction since the WCW incarnation of the nWo in the 90’s.
Styles entire New Japan run really lasted for only two years but he has done so much in that timeframe to become one of the most memorable champions of the belt over the past twenty years. In a way, he also put back a lot of gaijins into main event considerations once again, his two runs with the IWGP Title weren’t just transitional reigns but he was treated as a legitimate champion. He also even held the RevPro title simultaneously with the IWGP title at one point too. Just speaks volumes to how great of a run he had prior to making his WWE debut at the 2016 Royal Rumble. To me, AJ Styles will always be the perfect personification of the Bullet Club. He helped in growing NJPW to a much bigger audience in the West especially towards the American fan base. If it wasn’t for his New Japan run he likely would not be as successful as he is now in the WWE. Cemented his status as one of the all time greats.
#4 – Kenny Omega
Accomplishments:
IWGP Heavyweight Champion
IWGP Intercontinental Champion
Inaugural IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Champion
2x IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion
2x NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag-Team Champion
G1 Climax 2016 Winner
If we’re simply talking about some of the best matches the entire decade, Kenny Omega’s name will always pop up one way or another. Ever since he made his debut as The Cleaner, Omega would slowly become one of the most notable parts of the New Japan roster. Started off hot in the junior heavyweight division since parting ways with Kota Ibushi, he would gain the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship twice. Upon his move to the heavyweight division, Kenny would go on to replace AJ Styles as the next leader of the Bullet Club and the popularity of the stable grew even further and due to their strong social media presence, the monetary success of the faction as a whole would blossom as well. Since winning the vacant IWGP Intercontinental Championship in 2016, Omega’s status as the next gaijin star for the company was pretty much in tow. The same year he’d win the G1 Climax and would go on to main event the Tokyo Dome for Wrestle Kingdom 11 wherein he faced Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, the first of their four single match series that shook the wrestling industry as a whole. We cannot talk about this decade without mentioning the Omega-Okada matches that blew everyone’s minds, going as far as to breaking the Meltzer rating scale! If you were in for the ride, the stories of those matches were some of the best we’ve ever seen since the days of Flair-Steamboat. In 2017 Omega became the inaugural IWGP US Heavyweight Champion beating Tomohiro Ishii in the finals of the tournament. Being the leader of the Bullet Club, Kenny was involved in the friction between the stable itself as well, being divided due to differences in ideologies as The Elite were starting to grow much bigger as a brand than the stable, then with the presence of Cody Rhodes being added to the mix as well, it was a chaotic time for the once dominant faction. Amidst all these he reunited with Kota Ibushi and finally at Dominion 2018 would finally capture the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, beating The Rainmaker in a 64 minute classic.
Some might say however that Omega’s run as world champion was underwhelming. He had three successful title defenses, first against Cody at the G1 Special in San Francisco, proceeding with Ishii in the Destruction in Hiroshima after scoring a win over him at the G1 Climax, and finally a triple threat match against Cody and Ibushi at King of Pro Wrestling. Earlier in the year Kenny would conclude his New Japan run for now, main eventing the Tokyo Dome at Wrestle Kingdom for the second time in his career and losing the belt to Hiroshi Tanahashi. Right now he is in AEW and I gotta be honest, the “it factor” that made Kenny have a superstar aura is lost right now, hopefully he gains it back though as he is still one of, if not the, best wrestler in the world today. In terms of match quality, only few, if any at all could top Kenny Omega’s resume just the past five years alone. He isn’t called The Best Bout Machine for no reason and played a major role in the growth of NJPW in their international exploits.
#3 – Tetsuya Naito
Accomplishments:
IWGP Heavyweight Champion
4x IWGP Intercontinental Champion
NEVER Openweight Champion
IWGP Tag-Team Champion
2x G1 Climax Winner (2017, 2013)
New Japan Cup 2016 Winner
I always say this, I went for AJ Styles but stayed because of Tetsuya Naito. There is no other wrestler in the entire New Japan roster that resonated with me more than El Ingobernable. It’s been quite an interesting decade for Naito to say the least. A rough start ahead once he was starting to get pushed, but it seems like the audience weren’t so keen on him initially. The Stardust Genius was too bland for their liking, reminiscent of someone like The Rock whom the crowds rejected because of his cookie cutter gimmick as Rocky Maivia. Naito was already a great in-ring performer at the time, but he did not have the charisma or the “it factor” if you will to resonate with the fans. Wrestle Kingdom 8 was the biggest spit in his face when the main event was decided via a fan poll and the Intercontinental Championship bout between Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi won over Okada vs. Naito for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship which he earned after winning the G1 Climax. His dream was always to be the shuyaku, the number one star in the company but it seems like he has to change drastic measures in his presentation for him to reach that so off he went on another excursion this time around in CMLL. It would be the best decision for Naito’s career as he discovered Los Ingobernables stable led by La Sombra (now known as Andrade Cien Almas in the WWE.) The group’s name translates to The Ungovernables, they do whatever they want, however they want. Would not be led by anyone or anything else otherwise. This mantra and ideology would be adapted by Naito as he joined the faction and eventually returned to NJPW and created his own version “Los Ingobernables de Japon” and slowly the stable would grow in numbers adding in more notable names, EVIL fka Takaaki Watanabe, a fellow student of Animal Hamaguchi, then there is BUSHI who already has prior experience wrestling in AJPW, later on Keiji Mutoh’s disciple: SANADA would join the crew, another wrestler returning from excursion in Mexico: Hiromu Takahashi, and the most latest recruit would be former Dragon Gate superstar Shingo Takagi. From being once hated by the entire fanbase, Naito would turn things around and ironically become a fan favorite with his new found attitude. The audience finally found something to connect with him, it wouldn’t take long before he embraces the support as well and success would follow suit becoming IWGP Heavyweight Champion for the first time on Invasion Attack 2016 with a little help from his LIJ compatriots beating Okada but his run was merely a transitional one and would lose it right back to The Rainmaker. 2017 however would be the best year for Naito’s career, winning the G1 Climax and going on to finally main event the Tokyo Dome but did not succeed this time around in capturing the belt. He would then have a love-hate relationship with the IC Title and he is now heading on to next month’s Wrestle Kingdom challenging for it once more and possibly make history by becoming double champion the following night.
As someone who also has a “laid back” attitude and does not take a lot of things way too seriously than most people, out of all the wrestlers in NJPW, I connected with Naito the most. But that doesn’t mean he couldn’t get things done, at the end of the day he is still a competitor at heart and is willing to do anything to gain that success that’s been seemingly far yet also close in his career. Despite the recent booking mishaps, I’m still a solid supporter of Tetsuya Naito and the rest of LIJ and will willingly do so for the rest of time.
#2 – Hiroshi Tanahashi
Accomplishments:
4x IWGP Heavyweight Champion
2x IWGP Intercontinental Champion
RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Champion
3x NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag-Team Champion
2x G1 Climax Winner (2018, 2015)
The Ace. The savior of New Japan. What’s more that needs to be said about the living legend that is Hiroshi Tanahashi? As I’ve mentioned with Nakamura, Tanahashi also went through all the rough times of NJPW and it was him who led the charge towards a new era and now the company is finally taking in all the glory thanks to Tana’s sacrifices and leadership. There have been many great “pure babyfaces” in wrestling with guys like Rey Mysterio, Jushin Liger, and Ricky Steamboat. All of those wrestlers I just mentioned are legends in their own right, but it seems to me there isn’t anyone on the level that Hiroshi Tanahashi was able to accomplish. He was legitimately on superhero-levels of being a babyface and they don’t call him a “Once in a Century” talent for nothing. Rarely could we ever see someone to connect with an entire audience as much as he did, not just by virtue of being a draw and putting asses on the seats, but by being loved by pretty much everyone, from kids to adults, male and female, it doesn’t matter, if you’re a fan of NJPW or pro wrestling, you like Hiroshi Tanahashi. Especially in his prime, there was no one that truly personified what it was like to be The Ace than Tanahashi. Even more than the likes of Hashimoto and Kobashi. Just what he did in this decade alone is pretty remarkable, although his peak as a performer were really in the 2000’s, as Tana transitioned into more of a veteran role, he was still great. Still became a 4x IWGP Heavyweight Champion, carried the title with prestige and glory, adding on to the history of the Intercontinental title, and his two G1 victories are some of the most remarkable. He main evented Wrestle Kingdom seven times the past ten years and as the years pass by, Tana started to put over many of the up and coming talent. Most prominently the man at our number one. His rivalry with Tanahashi is what really made him the superstar that he is today.
Hiroshi Tanahashi and NJPW will always be synonymous with one another. There have been many greats over the years who wrestled into the promotion and contributed their fair share of legacy, but no one will be on the level of Tanahashi. The Ace will always be the greatest wrestler in New Japan history for me. Just what he did for the company is already commendable enough, but if you stack up his body of work and accolades, you get quite possibly the perfect wrestler there is. Which is why he will have the respect of the fans forever, no matter the decade.
#1 – Kazuchika Okada
Accomplishments:
5x IWGP Heavyweight Champion
2x New Japan Cup Winner (2019, 2013)
2x G1 Climax Winner (2014, 2012)
With how much I’ve said about Tanahashi, we’re still talking about the best wrestler of the 2010’s and who else could it be than The Rainmaker, Kazuchika Okada? We have all witnessed an evolution of a wrestler from being a blue chipper with tons of potential to becoming a superstar. In my opinion, there is no other better wrestler in the entire decade, in any wrestling company, than what Kazuchika Okada was able to accomplish. He is a 5x IWGP Heavyweight Champion, the only title he has held so far in his entire career, making the belt pretty much synonymous with him as he has also set all kinds of records with it. In his fourth run, he passed Shinya Hashimoto as the longest reigning champion, by holding the belt for an astounding 720 days then going on to set another record by having 12 successful title defenses!
But like I’ve mentioned before, what really made Okada reach his fullest potential, it wasn’t all by himself, it was first thanks to his greatest rival in Hiroshi Tanahashi. Their feud is pretty much the best of the decade as well as it signaled a whole new era for NJPW. Tanahashi was the leading Ace, while Okada was the next top prospect ready to take over the throne. With their fantastic matches, Okada was seen from being “pushed way too soon” to later on becoming a deserving champion. Tanahashi putting him over really made him into what he is now and the torch was passed on. One could also not mention this decade without Okada’s record breaking matches against Kenny Omega, destroying all kinds of scales with their top notch quality of performances that helped in the growth of New Japan to a much wider audience internationally and garnering attention from various media outlets in the process. That and a slew of many other matches against some of the best wrestlers in the world, Okada has faced and defeated them all. His dominance as champion are in the same levels of Kenta Kobashi in the 2000’s with the GHC Heavyweight Championship of NOAH. Yes he had that odd year where he “lost his mojo” if you will thanks to “Switchblade” Jay White but would pick things back up at Madison Square Garden where he headlined and re-captured the IWGP Heavyweight Championship which he still holds to this day and will enter the Tokyo Dome for his sixth main event as the champion defending against Kota Ibushi.
The experiment paid off and Okada is now the face of New Japan. He wasn’t just the future anymore but also the present. At 32 years old, he still has so much more to offer and with such a successful decade for him, there is still many great things to come for sure. As of now though, I think we can all agree that he is the greatest wrestler in NJPW for the 2010’s. The matches, moments, accolades, and overall impact for the company, he checks all the boxes. The Rainmaker still has a tight grasp as New Japan charges in to 2020.
Thank you for reading. If you haven’t yet, please check out my preview article for Wrestle Kingdom 14 where I covered every match on the main card and shared my predictions as well.
