10. Tetsuya Naito vs. Kenny Omega – G1 Climax 26 Day 18
Tetsuya Naito has had a long career filled with trials and tribulations. Things have not always gone his way but his career can be looked at as one of the most interesting stories in modern pro wrestling. This list hopes to balance great performances with the most important moments in Naito’s incredible career.
First on the list is his match with Kenny Omega in the 2016 G1 Climax. Omega and Naito have great chemistry together and competed against each other in three consecutive G1 Climaxes. This was their first meeting and it set the tone for their clashes to come.
Naito had taken great lengths to evolve since returning from Mexico in 2015. He had a cool demeanor but Omega brought out the worst in him by spitting in his face early in the match. They had a fantastic battle and one of the best matches of the year. However, this was not Naito’s night as he still had demons to overcome first.
9. Tetsuya Naito vs. Michael Elgin – New Beginning in Osaka 2017
One of those demons was the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. Tetsuya Naito had won the title in 2016 and in February 2017, Michael Elgin got his rematch. Naito always had a toxic relationship with the title after the Intercontinental title match was voted to be the main event instead of his match at Wrestle Kingdom 8. Now, he claimed the title as his own with his sights set on destroying it.
Naito had always been a great worker but many felt it was this match that established his place in the top tier of wrestlers in the world. With Elgin being so strong, Naito was dealt a ton of damage in this match but that was nothing new to him. Naito has always taken more punishment than average in his matches but here he was able to weather the storm and hold on to his title.
8. Tetsuya Naito vs. Kenny Omega – G1 Climax 28 Day 2
In 2018, Kenny Omega and Tetsuya Naito were in very different places in their career. Omega had reached the peak and was IWGP Heavyweight Champion, while Naito had regressed after failing at Wrestle Kingdom 12. In their first match of the 2018 G1 Climax, Omega and Naito showed why they were in their current positions.
The two continued to disrespect each other in this match and they followed up with the kind of work you would expect from two guys at the top of their game. Naito was trending downward at this point in his career and it would be over a year before he would start to come up again. Omega topped Naito once again and started Naito on the wrong foot in the tournament.
7. Tetsuya Naito vs. Shingo Takagi – G1 Climax 29 Day 14
When Shingo Takagi joined Los Ingobernables de Japon the stable changed and when he moved to the heavyweight division it changed further. Naito and Takagi had been sparring partners years earlier and this was their first match together since Takagi’s debut. The G1 Climax has been the site of many of Naito’s best matches and this was one of them.
Takagi had dominated the Best of the Super Juniors but the G1 Climax was a different animal. Had Takagi been able to defeat Naito there would have been a shift in the balance of power in the group. In many ways, this was a test for both of them. This match slipped under the radar as this was perhaps the greatest G1 Climax ever, but it was still definitely worth seeing.
6. Tetsuya Naito vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – G1 Climax 27 Day 17
One of Tetsuya Naito’s greatest rivals has been Hiroshi Tanahashi. After Naito’s change in character, Tanahashi was the person he directed the majority of his hate towards. The two had battled at Wrestle Kingdom 11 and Dominion but their trilogy of matches in 2017 came to a head at the G1 Climax.
Naito hated Tanahashi as he felt Tanahashi had taken his moment from him at Wrestle Kingdom 8. This was the final clash between them and Naito brought his A-Game. 2017 was Naito’s year and nothing could stop him from reaching the tournament final. A fantastic match against Tanahashi only helped his case than he was the perfect man to push into the future.
5. Tetsuya Naito vs. Chris Jericho – Wrestle Kingdom 13
While 2017 was Naito’s peak as a performer, 2018 was less kind to him. After failing at Wrestle Kingdom 12, Naito spent a good deal of 2018 being tormented by Chris Jericho. Jericho beat Naito to win the IWGP Intercontinental Championship at Dominion before their rivalry culminated at Wrestle Kingdom 13. This is where a switch was flipped in Naito’s head with his relationship with the Intercontinental title.
Jericho and Naito had an incredible brawl resulting in an equally incredible match. The most important aspect of this match was when Naito realized the title and he were connected. Naito had spent the previous two years trying to destroy the belt but now he knew the title would always return to him. It was a moment that was necessary for his development before he could ever hope to reach New Japan’s mountaintop.
4. Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada – Wrestle Kingdom 12
Many had Wrestle Kingdom 12 pegged to be the coronation of Tetsuya Naito. He was the most popular star in the company and would be fitting of the top spot in the company. All he had to do was defeat Kazuchika Okada in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom to finally fulfill his destiny.
Unfortunately, this was not the night for Naito and he would have to wait another two years for his happy ending. Naito and Okada had a tremendous match and it looked like Naito was on his way to winning. However, Naito was unable to distance himself from his old character and allowed his old way of thinking to obscure his focus. Okada retained his title and Naito only had himself to blame.
3. Tetsuya Naito vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – G1 Climax 23 Final
The only match on this list from before Naito’s departure to Mexico, he defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi to win the G1 Climax in 2013. Naito was an up-and-coming star at the time and this was the biggest win of his career.
It is important to watch this match to get an understanding of where Naito was before his life changed. In addition to being a phenomenal wrestler, he was a clean-cut, happy-go-lucky babyface. This match is the perfect illustration of how different things would get in addition to it also being a great match. After his victory, Naito proclaims himself the top star of New Japan, a statement that would haunt him as he consistently failed for the next 18 months.
2. Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada – Wrestle Kingdom 14 Day 2
Naito’s career had gone through more twists and turns and highs and lows than most. He had fallen into a deep depression based in self-doubt after continuing to fail in 2019 and injuries continued to pile up. At Wrestle Kingdom 14, this was legitimately his last chance.
The Double Gold Dash was the focus of the two-night show. Naito would first challenge Jay White for the Intercontinental title if he wanted to main event the second night of the show for both the Intercontinental and Heavyweight titles. Thankfully for Naito, he dug down deep and came out swinging. This was the best of Naito’s three Tokyo Dome matches with Kazuchika Okada and ultimately it was the fulfillment of Naito’s destiny, seven years in the making.
1. Tetsuya Naito vs. Kenny Omega – G1 Climax 27 Final
One might wonder why his climactic moment with Okada wouldn’t be the top spot on this list. Well, the reason we’ve gone with is this match in 2017 was Naito’s peak as a performer and as a star. He had drawn people to his new character and was putting on matches at the highest level of his career. All that was left in 2017 was to win the G1 Climax for the second time.
We spoke earlier about how Naito and Omega had great chemistry together. On this night, they had their best match together. Omega was fighting for the chance to face Kazuchika Okada one more time as their matches had been lighting the world on fire. However, Naito had his own destiny to worry about. This match was brutal and unexpectedly dangerous but thankfully both men seemed to come out unscathed.
In the end, Naito was victorious, earning the biggest win of his career at the time. After the match, Naito once again proclaimed himself the top star of New Japan, only this time it was true.
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