With Monday's Kazuchika Okada v. Hiroshi Tanahashi match from New Japan’s King of Pro Wrestling garnering so much attention, I've done some work. Dave Meltzer of WrestlingObserver.com says that the rivalry these two men have had could be placed “right near the top of the greatest in-ring rivalries in modern pro wrestling history.” I figured most wrestling fans don’t really follow New Japan very closely and, as such, might be viewing Monday’s match in a vacuum with little understanding of the history between the two Japanese superstars. My personal feeling is that to really understand just how good their most recent match was, you need to view it in the context of their entire feud. As such, I have tracked down all six of their matches over the last year and a half and provided links to the videos below. The links are provided in chronological order with Monday’s match listed last. Please forgive the audio quality on the first match. The best video I could find contained commentary overdubbed in another language.
1. NJPW The New Beginning – 02/12/2012 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Zqtheb8yiI
2. NJPW Dominion – 06/16/2012 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owQ46i_JoBw
3. NJPW Wrestle Kingdom VII – 01/04/2013 - http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xwhroq_hiroshi-tanahashi-vs-kazuchika-okada-njpw-wrestle-kingdom-7-2013_sport?search_algo=2
4. NJPW Invasion Attack – 04/07/2013 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpHEWklbKs4
5. NJPW G1 Climax 23 – 08/10/2013 - http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x136ro4_hiroshi-tanahashi-vs-kazuchika-okada-njpw_sport?search_algo=2
6. NJPW King of Pro Wrestling – 10/14/2013 - http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1602a3_kazuchika-okada-c-vs-hiroshi-tanahashi-njpw_sport?search_algo=2
BONUS: Courtesy of @Conan_Kudo1 on Twitter, here is a match between that took place two years before their current feud began. It was Okada's farewell match before heading to the United States for a stint with TNA. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGRd0rtQQdk&feature=youtu.be
5. NJPW G1 Climax 23 – 08/10/2013 - http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x136ro4_hiroshi-tanahashi-vs-kazuchika-okada-njpw_sport?search_algo=2
6. NJPW King of Pro Wrestling – 10/14/2013 - http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1602a3_kazuchika-okada-c-vs-hiroshi-tanahashi-njpw_sport?search_algo=2
BONUS: Courtesy of @Conan_Kudo1 on Twitter, here is a match between that took place two years before their current feud began. It was Okada's farewell match before heading to the United States for a stint with TNA. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGRd0rtQQdk&feature=youtu.be
Thanks man, was looking for something like this!
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