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NJPW has had an up and down year so far in 2021. The promotion has dealt with COVID-19 outbreaks and stars being out that has made it difficult to gain momentum. Despite all the setbacks, the one thing preserved has been New Japan Pro Wrestling's standard of in-ring excellence.
Kicking off the year at the Tokyo Dome, NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 showed off the greatness of the company's performers. Kota Ibushi, Will Ospreay, and Shingo Takagi have all won their first IWGP World Heavyweight Championships and have been at the top of the heap in "the best wrestler in the world" conversation.
It's time to look back at some of the most spectacular matches seen in all of wrestling. In this article, let's take a look at the ten best NJPW matches of 2021 so far.
#10 Taiji Ishimori vs. Hiromu Takahashi for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 2)
Heading into NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15, Hiromu Takahashi won his second Best of Super Juniors tournament to earn an opportunity to regain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship from Taiji Ishimori. The Bullet Club member defeated Takahashi for the title at Summer Struggle 2020, but the latter was still high in fans' eyes.
The two men put on one of the fastest paced matches of the entire year. Takahashi and Ishimori are two performers who utilize their speed better than most in the business. It was on display on the biggest night for NJPW. For a match that went 25 minutes, it flew by without letting up.
Taiji Ishimori showed why so many knowledgeable fans believe he is criminally underrated, while Hiromu Takahashi proved why he is the ace of the junior heavyweight division. "The Ticking Time Bomb" hit the Time Bomb II on Ishimori to reclaim the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship for the fourth time. Wrestle Kingdom 15 was so good that some may have forgotten how great this match was.
#9 Kazuchika Okada vs. Shingo Takagi for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship (NJPW Dominion 2021)
No event embodied how badly NJPW was hit by injuries and COVID outbreaks more than Dominion 2021. Heading into the event, Will Ospreay relinquished the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship due to a serious neck injury. The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion El Desperado was also ruled out due to COVID-19 totally changing the card.
The main event of NJPW Dominion 2021 would have to deliver big time to make up for the changes. Kazuchika Okada was scheduled to be the next challenger for the top title, while Shingo Takagi was the last challenger before Ospreay gave up the strap. These two men would go at it in an epic clash.
Okada and Shingo had split their first two matches against one another. The two competitors gave everything that fans would expect from them. Shingo Takagi put on an incredible performance in this main event. From selling moves to facial expressions, he was on the money and determined to prove himself as one of the best wrestlers in NJPW.
Okada vs. Shingo built to a tremendous climax. Despite the former's injured back, and just recovering from COVID-19, he was once again the big match performer. Shingo's final Last of the Dragon to win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship generated a gasp reaction and felt significant to his career. This felt like the biggest win of Takagi's career.
#8 Tetsuya Naito vs. Kota Ibushi for the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 1)
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 was built on the back of two main events centered on the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships. On Day 1, Tetsuya Naito defended the titles against Kota Ibushi. Ibushi lost his briefcase that he acquired by winning the G1 Climax 30 to Jay White. With Switchblade calling his shot for Day 2, Naito granted Ibushi the shot on Day 1.
The history of their epic clashes have centered on Naito and Ibushi trying to break one another's necks with brutal suplexes. For years, NJPW's main events have been intense, but Naito and Ibushi in the Tokyo Dome made fans feel they would see someone's life being taken on this night.
The bout started slowly, but quickened and went into borderline danger levels outside the ring. Naito hit a neckbreaker on the floor and an insane super reverse rana off the top rope. Things turned into a slugfest with both men trying to take each other's heads off. Naito got an amazing nearfall off his Destino that got the crowd on their feet.
Ibushi wouldn't be denied and wanted to be a god of NJPW on this night. His never-say-die attitude led him to hit two Kamigoye knee strikes to win the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships. It was a stellar closing to Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 1 and set the stage for the next day's main event against Jay White.
#7 Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr. in the Second Round of the New Japan Cup 2021 (NJPW New Japan Cup 2021)
The NJPW New Japan Cup 2021 would set up the next challenger for Kota Ibushi. With Ibushi's quest to take the company to new levels, he combined the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships to make it one World Heavyweight Championship. This decision was met with a lot of criticism, but it also led to many brilliant matches in the tournament.
Will Ospreay was looking to establish his United Empire group as a force in NJPW. He wanted to use the tournament to propel himself to the upper echelons of the promotion. Zack Sabre Jr. was the 2018 New Japan Cup winner and looked to repeat the feat this year.
Ospreay and Sabre Jr. have a history as the two elite British wrestlers in the world. ZSJ has mostly dominated their multiple encounters, but Ospreay defeated him last year to win the Revolution Pro British Heavyweight Championship. This second round match in the New Japan Cup 2021 would be a showdown to remember.
On this occasion, Zack Sabre Jr. played the babyface technician, while Will Ospreay was more cocky and arrogant. The two men started off at a blistering pace early, focusing on counters, showing how well both men knew each other. They had a breathtaking exchange ending with the Zack Driver for a nearfall that left the NJPW audience gasping.
ZSJ attacked Ospreay's right arm and elbow deliberately throughout this contest. The strikes were stiff as well, with Ospreay getting his nose busted and causing blood late in this NJPW New Japan Cup 2021 second-round war. In the final minutes, they exchanged PKs and superkicks until Ospreay blocked the Zack Driver and hit Stormbreaker for the win.
This was another great chapter in their rivalry.
#6 Will Ospreay vs. Shingo Takagi in the New Japan Cup 2021 Finals (NJPW New Japan Cup 2021 Finals)
From the bloodiest encounter of the NJPW New Japan Cup 2021, let's look back on the finals of the tournament. Will Ospreay and Shingo Takagi put together one of the greatest series of matches in recent memory. Their Best of Super Juniors 26 Finals contest was the 2019 Match of the Year for many fans, while their G1 Climax 30 bout was one of the best in the tournament.
In the New Japan Cup 2021, these were two different competitors than fans had seen in their two previous classics. Will Ospreay had turned his back on his CHAOS stable and the NJPW fans, while Shingo Takagi had become the most reliable performer for the promotion. Takagi had also taken a tougher road to the finals than Ospreay.
Will Ospreay had a focused attack on the injured back of his opponent. There were stiff strikes to the back and back suplexes on the guardrail. Despite that, Takagi wouldn't quit. There were many highlights in the fight, including one of the best sequences seen in NJPW and the business this year.
Ospreay flipped out of Shingo's Pumping Bomber and immediately ran to the ropes to hit an Os-Cutter for a nearfall. Another highlight saw Ospreay hit a 450 Splash from the top rope on Takagi through the table. It was tremendous action that had the NJPW audience on the edge of their seats.
In the closing moments, Ospreay hit the Hidden Blade and followed it with the Stormbreaker to win the 2021 New Japan Cup. It's a crime that many fans of NJPW feel Will Ospreay turning on his girlfriend Bea Priestley after the match overshadowed this contest because it should be considered one of the year's best.
#5 Shingo Takagi vs. Jeff Cobb for the NEVER Openweight Championship (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 2)
Shingo Takagi is not just one of the best wrestlers in NJPW, he's also arguably the most prolific big match performer in all of wrestling in 2021. This was proved yet again at Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 2, where he met the biggest challenge of his career with The United Empire's Jeff Cobb.
Cobb had been making his name as the enforcer of his stable and looked to win his first singles gold in NJPW on the grand stage at the Tokyo Dome. Takagi elevated the NEVER Openweight Championship through a hard-hitting series of matches against Minoru Suzuki in 2020. Jeff Cobb looked to capitalize on the added prestige and win the title at the biggest show of the year.
It was a banger of a match! Cobb pulled out all the stops and showed off his entire arsenal. He hit a sit-out Razor Edge and a variety of suplexes, but could not put Takagi away. The highlight of this NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 contest was Shingo reversing Cobb's Tour of the Islands into a moonsault fallaway slam.
Takagi nailed Cobb with a lariat and followed it with Last of the Dragon to pick up the win. The two men knocked the bricks out of one another in a heavyweight slugfest unlike anything seen in NJPW in quite some time. The crowd was fully invested, adding to the atmosphere. This was a star-making performance from Jeff Cobb.
#4 Shingo Takagi vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi for the NEVER Openweight Championship (NJPW New Beginning in Nagoya)
NJPW New Beginning in Nagoya was the first major event following Wrestle Kingdom 15 two-night event. To further the push of the NEVER Openweight Championship, the title match between Shingo Takagi and Hiroshi Tanahashi headlined the show.
Takagi and Tanahashi drew each other's ire as The Ace wanted to prove that he could still keep up with the best in NJPW. Meanwhile, The Dragon wanted to beat one of the greatest stars in company history. This made for a battle of styles and ideologies.
Tanahashi focused on Shingo's leg and had a steady assault of dragon-screw leg whips throughout this main-event clash. At every turn, NJPW's Ace would hit low dropkicks and batter the leg to put Takagi down. However, Shingo would not stay down.
Shingo had a deviant attitude, kicking out at the one count after a Tanahashi slingblade, but Hiroshi responded kicking out at one after a lariat. The action became fast and heavy down the stretch with both men trading big moves. Tana hit a bridging German Suplex for a nearfall, then followed it with a High Fly Flow to win the NEVER Openweight Championship.
It was an excellent war of attrition that showcased stellar chemistry between two of NJPW's very best. Shingo Takagi proved why he is an undeniable top-of-the-line talent, while Tanahashi proved that he still had what it takes to stand up with any wrestler in the world. Over 36 minutes long, this is a thrilling bout that stands with any main event seen in 2021 so far.
#3 Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 1)
Not many NJPW feuds were as personal as Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay. The two former friends had developed a relationship that was more akin to brothers with Okada guiding Ospreay in New Japan since approving the young Brit after facing him in Revolution Pro.
However, numerous consecutive losses to Okada started to wear on Ospreay. This led to his ultimate betrayal of The Rainmaker in the G1 Climax 30 tournament when Bea Priestley and Great-O-Khan helped Ospreay defeat Okada for the first time. They formed the Empire stable and looked to be the final nail in the coffin for Okada in NJPW.
This set the stage for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 1 in a grudge match for the ages. The two men had put on terrific matches in the past, but the Tokyo Dome added extra gravitas to their performances. Ospreay was a different competitor altogether.
The Commonwealth Kingpin traded in his awesome high-flying arsenal for a more physical, hard-hitting style that inflicted punishment. Okada's selling made Ospreay feel like a focused athlete and made his eventual comeback thrilling.
Okada had a strange 2020. After losing the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14, The Rainmaker shifted his repeitoire. He had rested his signature Rainmaker finisher and started using a new Money Clip submission for polarizing results. He used that again here, but it was not enough to put away Ospreay.
Okada would pull out a variety of tombstone piledrivers and even reverse Ospreay's Stormbreaker into a Michinoku-style tombstone. Okada finally hit the Rainmaker after a whole year to a roaring reaction from the Tokyo Dome crowd to take the win.
It was superb storytelling and facial expressions. Okada and Ospreay were supposed to be the main event of the Tokyo Dome for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship before Will's injury, but this will definitely be a match NJPW runs back after their classic at Wrestle Kingdom 15.
#2 Kota Ibushi vs. Jay White for the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 2)
After Kota Ibushi beat Tetsuya Naito to claim the straps at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15, he had one more obstacle to overcome. "Switchblade" Jay White was the man who defeated him last year at the Tokyo Dome and took his G1 Climax 30 briefcase.
White clearly had Ibushi's number heading into NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 2 with a three-match winning streak against "The Golden Star." He felt confident that he was in his opponent's head. Although Ibushi wanted to become a god, White thought that he already was and this night was his destiny.
This had the makings of an all-time classic. Kota Ibushi was in top form, being impeccable with his selling and fabulous facial expressions. However, it was Jay White who took center stage and showed that he is the top heel in NJPW.
Switchblade had developed a compelling character, but he lacked the in-ring work of other main eventers. This was a magnificent performance from the 28-year-old that had the wrestling world talking. His heel work was on another level, pulling every bit of emotion from the Tokyo Dome crowd.
The NJPW main event was a masterpiece. Over 47 minutes long, this set the Tokyo Dome record for the longest match ever, surpassing Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega from Wrestle Kingdom 11. Ibushi and White showed exceptional chemistry that built this contest to a captivating finish.
Ibushi withstood White's entire assault on his knees and ribs before hitting a flurry of offense. He countered a Kamigoye into a lariat. Ibushi then hit a Kamigoye to the back of the head and another to the face to win and retain the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships.
It was beautiful professional wrestling that felt extremely satisfying by the end.
#1 Will Ospreay vs. Shingo Takagi for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship (NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2021 Day 2)
After NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15, many fans thought it was impossible to see better professional wrestling. However, Will Ospreay and Shingo Takagi made the impossible easy. The two men have been mentioned quite a few times on this list, but their best was yet to come.
Following Ospreay beating Kota Ibushi for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at NJPW Sakura Genesis 2021, Shingo Takagi stepped up as his first challenger at Wrestling Dontaku. The Dragon looked to avenge his loss in the New Japan Cup 2021 Finals and win the gold for the first time.
Their New Japan Cup 2021 Finals and G1 Climax 30 were great, but didn't outdo what they offered in their 2019 Match of the Year at the Best of Super Juniors 26. The two men seemed determined this evening to put that encounter in the past and have an even better matchup.
The NJPW New Japan Cup 2021 was a little more dominant win for Ospreay than usual, but Shingo Takagi came out firing in this one. The two men knew each other very well from their previous meetings. Ospreay switched things up by focusing on Takagi's arm, while Shingo found ways to counter his opponent's big moves.
In this NJPW encounter, Shingo utilized a table at ringside to hit a massive Made In Japan off of the apron through the table on Ospreay in one of the highlights. Ospreay made it inside the ring before being counted out and was met with another Made In Japan for a close nearfall.
Shingo hit a bevy of Pumping Bomber lariats for a nearfall, including one that almost took the Fukuoka crowd's breath away. They traded headbutts before Ospreay pulled out a Rainmaker. He then followed with the Hidden Blade and the Storm Breaker to get the win and retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
The bout gripped the crowd for the entire 45 minutes. NJPW are known for their epic main events, and this bout had outstanding storytelling, the right length, drama, and intensity. This is why the promotion was confident to put the title on Takagi after Ospreay went down following this performance.
When fans and critics look back on 2021, there's no question that this will be in the running for Match of the Year. That is why Will Ospreay vs. Shingo Takagi for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestling Dontaku 2021 is the best NJPW match of 2021 so far.
