5 Best Wrestling Matches Of 2018

1. Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega - Dominion 6.9

These were all ground-breaking, era-defining wrestling matches of mythic proportions. And now another match joins that list of greatest wrestling matches of all time: Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega IV.

If the Wrestling Observer is to be believed, this is now the greatest wrestling match of all time. It was rated an unprecedented seven stars out of five, and cemented both Omega and Okada as two of the greatest wrestlers of all time.

But was it really that awesome? In this writer’s opinion, it was awesome, but not seven-stars-out-of-a-possible-five-stars awesome.

Somehow, these two wrestlers managed to tell an even better story than before by incorporating various callbacks and elements of their previous matches. Interwoven into the fast-paced, 64-minute endurance contest were so many layers of interpersonal storytelling and clever psychology.

They knew each other so well they had all of each other’s big moves scouted and prepared for. They both had big moves that the other knew how to deal with. They both brought their a-game in a classic wrestling match that will be extremely hard to top.

Like the epic rivalry between Okada and Tanahashi, Omega and Okada built a masterful story once again by emphasizing small elements from previous matches. It was the mirror-image of a WWE match; while most WWE wrestlers are told to go through similar motions on a weekly basis, Omega and Okada kept things to fresh and unpredictable that it kept you on the edge of your seat for over an hour.

It’s a testament to both wrestlers’ masterful knowledge of wrestling match structure and psychology, along with booker Gedo’s genius creative direction.

A wise man once made the comparison of WWE and NJPW being food companies. WWE is like McDonalds: cheap, generic food items with little distinction between them that’s meant to be easy to replicate and follows a lackadaisical formula that should never be tampered with.

Meanwhile, NJPW is like steak made from Kobe beef: extremely prestigious, made of the highest-quality ingredients, takes incredible attention, skill and passion to prepare, and is meant to be enjoyed on rare occasions. This match proved why NJPW has that latter – and better – image among wrestling promotions.

About the author

Alex is a lifelong professional wrestling fan that loves to write about it just as much as he enjoys watching it.

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Edited by Gabby Duran