2013 Year In Review: NJPW

Was this the best year ever for any promotion?

 

 

Here we are folks with another article in my 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 2013. 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 2013

Win, lose or draw, these were the finest performers of the year.

Okada stepped up and became "the man" in 2013.

 1. Kazuchika Okada (Last year: 2)

2. Hiroshi Tanahashi (1)

3. Tomohiro Ishii (-)

4. Shinsuke Nakamura (3)

5. Prince Devitt (7)

6. Katsuyori Shibata (-)

7. Kota Ibushi (4)

8. Tetsuya Naito (10)

9. Karl Anderson (5)

10. Yuji Nagata (9)

 

 

The Best NJPW PPVs Of 2013

These cards delivered the goods and left the viewer the most satisfied.

The best WK ever.

1. Wrestle Kingdom VII [10/10]

2. G1 Climax 23 Day 4 [10/10]

3. Invasion Attack [10/10]

4. G1 Climax 23 Day 8 [10/10]

5. G1 Climax 23 Day 9 [9.25/10]

The Best NJPW Matches Of 2013

These are the "must see" NJPW matches of the year.

Tanahashi/Okada VI was a work of art.

1. King Of Pro Wrestling: Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi [*****]

2. Invasion Attack: Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi [*****]

3. G1 Climax 23 Day 4: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kota Ibushi [****3/4]

4. G1 Climax 23 Day 2: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi [****3/4]

5. G1 Climax 23 Day 4: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Katsuyori Shibata [****3/4]

6. The New Beginning: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Karl Anderson [****3/4]

7. G1 Climax 23 Day 8: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada [****3/4]

8. Wrestle Kingdom VII: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada [****3/4]

9. Wrestle Kingdom VII: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kazushi Sakuraba [****3/4]

10. King Of Pro Wrestling: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Naomichi Marufuji [****1/2]

11. Dominion: Katsuyori Shibata vs. Hirooki Goto [****1/2]

12. Power Struggle: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii [****1/2]

13. Wrestle Kingdom VII: Prince Devitt vs. Low-Ki vs. Kota Ibushi [****1/2]

14. NJPW Road To Tokyo Dome 12/23: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kazuchika Okada & Tetsuya Naito [****1/4]

15. Destruction: Prince Devitt vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi [****1/4]

 

 

 

My Thoughts



New Japan Pro Wrestling has made good on my claim that they would likely trump their incredible 2012 this year. Though what can really be said about how amazing their 2013 has been? After the epic finale of the Okada-Tanahashi rivalry, Kazuchika Okada asserted himself as the top wrestler in the world when he captured the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for the second time & his title reign was arguably, the best of the year for any promotion. On top of that, the 23rd annual G1 Climax will likely stand forever as the best tournament of all time. Not to mention the brilliant Prince Devitt heel turn (that resulted in the badass formation of the Bullet Club) and the unbelievable rise of Tomohiro Ishii as the professional wrestling's #1 cult hero. From beginning to end, NJPW has produced what I believe to be the most outstanding overall year I have ever had the honor of witnessing. And when the years go by and we talk about the great eras of wrestling, I'm going to feel very fortunate to have been able to come along for such a fantastic journey.

Overall Grade: A+