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At the Wrestle Kingdom 12, fans were treated to a dream match of epic proportions when Chris Jericho went face-to-face with Kenny Omega. This match exceeded all expectations, and even shocked fans who thought the match wouldn’t live up to the hype. Instead, fans were treated to one of Jericho’s best matches in his career.
This led me to wonder. What would happen if WWE or NJPW cross that border, and move on the other side? What incredible matches could we witness? But, for this to happen, WWE needs to break down their barriers, so that these matches do eventually take place. Some of these matches could change the wrestling landscape forever, and can even make both promotions a ton of money in the process.
If there is a dream match I have forgotten to mention, then please voice your opinion in the comment section below.
#10 Tomohiro Ishii vs Sheamus
Don’t be fooled by Sheamus’ looks. He might look funny, but he can pummel you until you look like roadkill. Tomohiro Ishii, the muscle of chaos is as strong and intimidating as they come. No one hits harder than these two men.
If they ever meet, you can expect a lot of cringing headbutts and hard chops. These two men are known for putting on hard-hitting matches, so a meeting between these two men could lead to a brutal encounter where both men are unable to stand in the end.
Ishii has gained a reputation in Japan as a stone pitbull because of how much damage he can absorb and dish out. Sheamus on the hand has had his fair share of wars before.
It’s quite obvious that a meeting between these two would be a dream come true for hardcore wrestling fans. That begs the questions as to who will win if these two men do square off. Honestly, the fans will be the true winners.
#9 The New Day vs The Elite
The Elite, a group consisting of Bullet Club members Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks are one of the most popular acts in wrestling at the moment. Their high spots and incredible attitude shows that The Elite know how to win fans over in 2018. They also have Youtube series called “Being The Elite."
The New Day are no different than The Elite with their tongue-in-cheek humour, goofy attitude and Xavier Woods' Youtube channel “Up Up Down Down”, it’s quite easy to see the similarity between these two groups from two different parts of the wrestling universe.
One can only imagine the incredible match these two can put on if they finally meet in the ring. What’s even more upsetting is the fact that Kenny Omega actually tried to make this match happen. In an interview, he admitted that he was appealing to the powers that be to allow this match to take place saying it could make a lot of money, and would even set the wrestling world on fire. You got to appreciate Omega for his efforts, but until the politics change, this match may be just a dream.
#8 Seth Rollins vs Katsuyori Shibata
I’ll be honest when making this list, I didn’t expect these to add this match. But, as I went through NJPW and WWE rosters, I realized that a match between these two can actually be a dream come true for hardcore wrestling fans.
Their styles may be quite different, but that’s what would make this interesting. Rollins has been known to take that extra step to make his matches appear authentic and realistic injuring some of his fellow wrestlers in the process.
Shibata takes that to an extra level when he beats his opponents mercilessly. He even feels disrespected when his opponents don’t hit him hard. Hence, a meeting between these two would be perfect.
Rollins has shown that he isn’t afraid to face any man or beast, and he would do almost anything to solidify himself as "The Man" in WWE.
#7 Sami Zayn vs Will Ospreay
Sami Zayn was lost in the WWE crowd since his arrival to the main roster. His booking has been lacklustre, and he has always been used as a stepping stone. That’s a shame because we know how good Zayn can be in the ring. His match against Shinsuke Nakamura is one of the best matches in the history of NXT. This shows that Sami Zayn is capable of putting on stellar performances.
Will Ospreay, on the other hand, just finished the best year of his career in 2017. He put on incredible matches with high flying, risk taking dives that defied the laws of gravity. Ospreay may only be 24 years old, but don’t let his age fool you. He can hang with the best in the business.
Therefore, a meeting between these two men could set the wrestling world on fire, and even take wrestling to a whole new level. This is a match that can sell out any arena in the world. This could end up being a win-win for both parties, and Zayn can prove to the WWE authorities that he deserves a main event push. I hope we get to see this match happen in the Indies because that would be even better than watching these two men fight inside a WWE ring.
#6 The Young Bucks vs The Hardy Boyz
This match may have already happened at House of Hardcore VII, but that was three years ago, and a lot has changed since then. I just had to include this match just because now both these teams are even better. The Young Bucks remind me how a more modernized version of the Hardys.
The Young Bucks are without a doubt one of the best tag teams in the world right now. They win a championship wherever they go, and they know how to entertain wrestling fans. I’m not a huge fan of tag team wrestling, but I just can’t miss watching The Young Bucks in action. They are known for performing moves in the ring which we have never seen before. Doesn’t that remind you of another tag team back in the day?
The Hardy Boyz, on the other hand, is one of the greatest tag teams of all-time. They were one of the teams that took tag team wrestling to a whole new level. They were a history-making duo that would do incredible feats in the ring no one could even imagine. They still are a great team to watch even in 2017.
No one can argue that a match between these two incredible teams would raise the bar of tag team wrestling, and take it to a whole new level. But, The Young Bucks are having issues with WWE at the moment, so don’t expect to see this match happen anytime soon unless Matt and Jeff Hardy leave WWE, and go to NJPW, but that’s unlikely to happen given how much WWE fought for the ‘woken’ Matt Hardy gimmick.
#5 Brock Lesnar vs Kazuchika Okada
It’s only expected that fans would want to see two of the best from the two best promotions in the world face each other.
Kazuchika Okada is no doubt one of the best wrestlers on the planet at the moment. The IWGP Heavyweight Champion has taken on everyone who stepped up to challenge him, and he has put instant classic matches through his reign as champion. That leaves the question, who’s next to challenge the IWGP Champion. He has beaten everyone, and that leaves few challenges.
Brock Lesnar has been on a similar run as Universal Champion. He has beaten everyone who got in his way. His matches are brutal to watch. He mercilessly beats his opponent with a number of German suplexes taking them on a one way trip to ‘suplex city.’
Given how dominant these two have been in their respective promotions, it would only be fitting to have these two men face each other in what would be no less than an instant classic match. But, this match seems far less likely to take place since Brock Lesnar is going to leave WWE after WrestleMania 34.
#4 Tetsuya Naito vs Seth Rollins
Tetsuya Naito is currently the leader of Los Ingobernables De Japon. Naito had a great year in 2017 and was one of the most over superstars in NJPW. He portrays the role of an arrogant heel quite well, yet the audience cheers for him every time he steps into the ring. He has been no stranger to the limelight in 2017 and even won the G1 Climax. He started 2018 with a great performance against Kazuchika Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 12.
On the other hand, 2017 was a pretty average year for Seth Rollins. ‘The Architect’ reunited with his Shield brothers and even won the Tag Titles. His wrestling style is quite similar to that of Naito’s.
Hence, if these two men were to meet in the future, expect an epic encounter filled with a lot of high spots and false finishes. This match would be a real treat for wrestling fans, and I really hope we get to witness it in the near future while these two men are still in their prime.
#3 Kazuchika Okada vs Roman Reigns
It’s no big secret that Roman Reigns sees himself as the ‘Top Dog’ in wrestling. But, in order to be the best, you have to beat the best, and right now Okada is one of the best wrestlers in the world.
His 560+ day reign as IWGP Champion has proven that Okada is a legend in the making. He has had incredible matches with everyone, and can even make his opponents look good. Very few wrestlers in the world have that talent. His feud with Omega changed the wrestling landscape for the better, and his recent victory over Naito at Wrestle Kingdom 12 proves that Okada is unstoppable at the moment.
Roman Reigns became a grand slam champion in 2017 when he won the Intercontinental Championship. He has broken a lot of records in his time at WWE. Moreover, he has the ability to put on hard-hitting matches with just about anyone. If you don’t agree with me, then watch his matches against Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman. Reigns constantly prove that he can hang with just about anyone in the business.
Okada has expressed interest in joining WWE, so a match between these two men may not be too far down the road. When these two men finally meet, expect the roof to be blown off the building.
#2 Hiroshi Takahashi vs John Cena
John Cena is the face that carried WWE on his shoulders for more than a decade. He took over after The Rock had left. He was even considered the face of WWE for a major part of his career. He put on stunning matches and epic rivalries with the likes of Edge and Randy Orton. His gimmick may not have evolved in over 10 years, but love or hate, you cannot debate that John Cena was at the centre of sports entertainment not too long ago.
Hiroshi Tanahashi is responsible for the current NJPW boom. When NJPW were struggling, Takahashi carried the company and plucked them from obscurity by delivering scintillating performances. Takahashi may be indirectly responsible for some of the great talents that we see in NJPW like Okada, Kenny Omega, Tetsuya Naito and many more. His performances encouraged others to do well, and now NJPW is in a good position.
Hence, a match between these two will be a dream. It will be amazing the see ‘The Ace’ go face-to-face with the face that runs the place. But, it doesn’t look like Takahashi will leave NJPW anytime soon, and Cena is too busy trying to make it in Hollywood. So, I guess this match will have to be left to our imagination.
#1 Kenny Omega vs AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura vs Finn Balor
Full disclosure: this match is my personal favourite.
For the past one year, I have been having dreams of this match taking, and I have been praying hard for this dream to become a reality. These are the best wrestlers in the world, and if they meet in a match, the entire wrestling landscape will be changed forever.
Kenny Omega and AJ Styles had an incredible year in 2017 while Nakamura and Finn Balor got lost in the crowd. But, that still doesn’t mean that these four can’t put on an epic contest.
When Finn Balor and Aj Styles finally met in the ring, fans started chanting ‘This is awesome’ before the match even began. Imagine what would happen if these four men stood in the same ring. I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it.
I wish WWE allows this inter-promotional match to take place because it could sell a lot of tickets and make a lot of money. WWE should just sign Omega to a one-match contract so that he can participate in this match.
WWE are so set in their ways that I don’t think they will allow a match of this magnitude to take place even it’s for just one night. It’s a real shame because they could’ve had one of the best matches of all-time.
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