Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Another Hiroshi Tanahashi feud makes the cut in a list unsurprisingly dominated by the “Ace” and the “Rainmaker”.
But Shinsuke Nakamura, as the King of Strong Style, certainly deserves placement on this list. The man who once main evented a Wrestle Kingdom as IWGP Intercontinental Champion – yes, the secondary singles title – is dripping charisma and has been involved in some of NJPW’s best-told stories over the years.
Nakamura actually joined NJPW in 2002 in the same year Tanahashi did, and they even won the IWGP Tag Team Championships together.
But after leaving NJPW and returning, they were always destined to cross paths in a less friendly way.
Shortly after his much-hyped return, Nakamura had a title matche against Tanahashi and lost, and then he lost at the first Wrestle Kingdom to the legendary Toshiaki Kawada.
Nakamura did eventually win his second IWGP Heavyweight Championship by taking down Tanahashi one year later at Wrestle Kingdom II, completing a redemption arc.
After losing the title, Nakamura went after Tanahashi again in 2009 and lost. He turned heel, injured Tanahashi, won his third world title, and became the King of Strong Style to kick his long-standing rivalry with Tanahashi to the next gear.
Over the years, Tanahashi and Nakamura would continue their feud, crescendoing again in 2014 when Nakamura lost the IWGP Intercontinental Title to Tanahashi in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 8 after the fans chose them to close the show over Tetsuya Naito and Kazuchika Okada.
Nakamura would win the IC Title back from Tanahashi, and while he lost to Tana in the 2015 G1 Climax Final, he did get the last laugh by defeating the Ace in a six-man tag match before leaving for WWE.
The intensity, length, and quality of Tanahashi vs. Nakamura is difficult to match, and it is one of the most important rivalries of the last two decades. You know the rivalry NXT wants Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano to be? Well, that’s what Tanahashi vs. Nakamura was. Violent, emotional, and taking place between two charismatic men who knew each other perfectly.