5 Worst Wrestling Matches Of 2014

#4 Kazushi Sakuraba & Yuji Nagata vs. Daniel & Rolles Gracie - NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 8

Non-wrestlers wrestling in a wrestling match is a recipe for failure. The Gracies are the most revered family in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), so they are obviously not wrestlers. Yet for some reason, they were booked in a wrestling match against a fellow MMA expert (Sakuraba) and NJPW’s resident workhorse-that-will-do-anything-for-the-company, Yuji Nagata.

Because of the athletes’ limitations, this match was almost completely disastrous. Nagata and Sakuraba did try to add some elements of wrestling and ‘worked’ MMA, but neither of the Gracies knew how to do pro wrestling. That’s why a lot of the action felt disjointed and lacking in flow. The ending was mired by nonsense as one of the Gracies choked Nagata by his gi, which led to a DQ finish.

This match reeked of ‘Inokism’ of NJPW’s past, which most people had hoped had died when Inoki was forced out of the company. Sadly, that need for ‘crossover’ matches does appear from time to time, and it is almost always to the detriment of everyone involved.