Here we are folks with another article in our new annual Year In Review series! A series where I will take a look back at the best performers, PPVs & matches from each major promotion that I watched this year and give an overall assessment of how much I enjoyed said promotion's product throughout 2012. In our next article, we're going to take a look a New Japan and see how they did this year.
The Best NJPW Talent of 2012
Win, lose or draw, these were the finest performers of the year
Tanahashi is still king
- Hiroshi Tanahashi
- Kazuchika Okada
- Shinsuke Nakamura
- Kota Ibushi
- Karl Anderson
- Minoru Suzuki
- Prince Devitt
- Low-Ki
- Yuji Nagata
- Tetsuya Naito
The Best NJPW PPVs of 2012
These cards delivered the goods and left the viewer the most satisfied
NJPW's IPPV debut was a tremendous success
- King Of Pro Wrestling [10/10]
- Dominion [9/10]
- Wrestle Kingdom VI [8/10]
- We Are Pro Wrestling Love [7.5/10]
- 40th Anniversary Show [7.5/10]
The
Best NJPW Matches of 2012
These are the "must see" NJPW matches of the year
Suzuki/Tanahashi had an all-time classic in October
- King Of Pro Wrestling: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Minoru Suzuki [*****]
- 40th Anniversary Show: Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito [****3/4]
- Dominion: Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi [****3/4]
- King Of Pro Wrestling: Karl Anderson vs. Kazuchika Okada [****1/2]
- The New Beginning: Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi [****1/4]
- G1 Climax: Karl Anderson vs. Kazuchika Okada [****1/4]
- We Are Pro Wrestling Love: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Togi Makabe [****]
- King Of Pro Wrestling: Low-Ki vs. Kota Ibushi [****]
- Wrestle Kingdom VI: Ryusuke Taguchi & Prince Devitt vs. Davey Richards & Rocky Romero [****]
- Wrestle Kingdom VI: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Minoru Suzuki [****]
My Thoughts
NJPW is slowly becoming the single greatest wrestling promotion in the world today. Much of the groundwork for what many will say is their greatest era, was done in 2012. Hiroshi Tanahashi's unbelievable title reign will go down as one of the best the sport has ever seen when the dust settles, Kazuchika Okada is wrestling's best kept story and true breakout sensation & Shinsuke Nakamura remains one of the most entertaining wrestlers in the world. These three men are the "three pillars" of NJPW's equivalent of the Attitude Era. They are three of the top ten best wrestlers in the world today. Not to mention the overall roster is easily the most talented and well balanced in the sport. To top things off, the company's first iPPV was a huge success and easily one of the top five shows of the year. I do believe they may trump themselves in 2013, but this will be the year people reference when they talk about New Japan's "golden age" in future generations. If you're not a fan by now, then get familiar.
Overall Grade: A
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