NJPW: 10 Greatest Wrestlers of All Time
By Tim Sherry
Credit: NJPW Global Twitter
Through the 45 glorious years of New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), we count down its top 10 wrestlers of all time.
In 1972, founder Antonio Inoki officially opened the doors of New Japan Wrestling, and with that ushered in what is to this day one of the preeminent professional wrestling companies in the world. Unlike American professional wrestling, NJPW focuses more on what happens inside the ring as opposed to outside, as over the decades the company has churned out more mat classics than most people can manage to remember. And it’s still going strong. Recently foraying into American television, fans of pro wrestling in this country get a free look at how good professional wrestling could and should be.
Over the years, the talent in NJPW has shined. But who was the very best? It’s a massively deep pool to pick from but when it’s all said and done there are 10 men whose inclusion to the brand has shaped what the company is to this very day. This list is based on accomplishments, level of in-ring mastery, and what each superstars meaning to NJPW was and still is. It wasn’t easy and there are several arguments that can be made to superstars who were left off this countdown, but this is a true list of the very best ever.
Ahead we count down the top 10 NJPW superstars of all time.