5 Best Wrestling Matches of 1990

1. Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Naoki Sano

This match was voted the Match of the Year in 1990 by the Wrestling Observer, and it’s easy to see why. Not only did it have an incredibly hot crowd from the opening bell, but it had a blistering pace and brutal action that it made feel as much like a personal fight as it did a wrestling match.

Neither man was a clear-cut face or heel as both of them showed heelish tactics (Liger slapped Sano before the match and Sano tried to rip off Liger’s mask). What made this match so great is that the audience was fully immersed in the match, with a few fans even screaming in horror whenever a big move was hit.

Liger’s selling was unbelievable, as he looked to be in unbelievable pain every time Sano hit a big move. It’s an excellent piece of wrestling history that helped make ‘junior heavyweight’ wrestling more popular in the traditionally heavyweight-dominated Japan.