5 Best Wrestling Matches Of 2014

#3 Kazuchika Okada vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – G1 Climax final

New Japan’s roster is filled with several rivalling factions and stables, so stablemates don’t fight each other often. The biggest exception to this rule is during the G1 Climax, where it’s every man for himself. This allowed two CHAOS stablemates to face each other to find out which of them would face the IWGP Heavyweight Champion at the following Wrestle Kingdom.

And because they rarely fought each other, this came off as a special match, and both Okada and Nakamura brought their A-game to make sure fans felt that way.

While Okada’s in-ring work has been praised for many years now, his match structure also proved he’s excellent at telling a story without words. Okada was determined to not only win the G1 Climax, but also to cement himself as the new NJPW ace. That meant defeating one of the company’s most time-tested stars in Nakamura, and doing so decisively. And Okada did this by hitting three consecutive Rainmakers and crowning himself the 2014 G1 Climax winner.

But Nakamura didn’t make it an easy ride for Okada. He hit Okada with some of the most vicious moves ever seen in an NJPW ring, and made the crowd erupt like a volcano when he reversed Okada’s first Rainmaker into a flying cross armbreaker (bear in mind that Nakamura does have MMA experience and that armbar is a killer move).

This match is damn-near perfect for its story, in-ring action, psychology, and the crowd going nuts over all the big moves. It might not have taken place in a cavernous stadium, but the crowd’s reaction said more about this match than any promo.