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Continuing from yesterday's post, read on as I count down my favorite wrestling matches of the year. 15. Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Naomichi Marufuji IWGP Heavyweight Championship, NJPW, King of Pro Wrestling, 10/10 ****¾ Pro Wrestling NOAH was in bad need of a shake-up when it was sold this fall, but the unfortunate side effect of their transfer of ownership was the sudden termination of a buddying invasion storyline with NJPW that had all the potential to boost both companies. As is, this match, a rematch of the pair’s great outing in the G1 tournament, stands as the final word on the aborted crossover. But if that is the case, at least the match itself is great, with Marufuji absolutely demolishing Okada and forcing New Japan’s ace to work as underdog the entire time. Okada takes wild bumps from his opponent, including a piledriver on the apron and a return to the ring to eat a dropkick, that make Marufuji look better in a single match than he has years in NOAH. The energy of this ...

New Japan Pro Wrestling yet again throws down the gauntlet for the year with a top flight PPV that boasts a great card and even better work. No use beating around the bush, here are breakdowns and ratings for the event. (WARNING: contains spoilers. I would highly recommend you track down this event, or at least the final three matches, immediately if you have yet to watch them.) New Japan Rumble Participants, in order: Jushin Thunder Liger, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, Tiger Mask, Cheeseburger, Hiro Saito, Yoshi-Hashi, Máscara Dorada, Captain New Japan, Manabu Nakanishi, Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Ryusuke Taguchi, Shiro Koshinaka, King Haku, The Great Kabuki, Kazushi Sakuraba, Jado Rating: ** As with last year’s event, Wrestle Kingdom 10 opened with a rumble featuring both legends too old to fit on the card and youngsters who haven’t earned their shot. In practice, it resembles the gimmick battle royal from Wrestlemania X-Seven, a chance for old-timers to get one last go-arou...