Opinion:  Wrestle Kingdom is now the pinnacle of pro wrestling events

Wrestle Kingdom is the biggest show of the year for New Japan Pro Wrestling, and it occurs annually on January 4th. Thanks to the addition of Chris Jericho to this year's Wrestle Kingdom 12, the event became more mainstream than ever.

NJPW began having a January 4th special in 1992 to celebrate the company's 20th year in existence. Starting in 2007, they began using the moniker Wrestle Kingdom for the event upon the 35th anniversary of the company.

With the introduction of New Japan World (NJPW's streaming service) at the end of 2014, Wrestle Kingdom has grown in popularity due to the ease of access. For Wrestle Kingdom 12, the AXS TV version with Jim Ross and Josh Barnett on the call aired just two days after the event took place, making it even more accessible worldwide.

Not only did New Japan World help Wrestle Kingdom become a major attraction, but the rise of superstars such as Kazuchika Okada, Kenny Omega, Tetsuya Naito to go along with established veterans such as Hiroshi Tanahashi, Shinsuke Nakamura, and the worldwide appeal of the Bullet Club also made their biggest show of the year a must-see.

A.J. Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura show respect after their Wrestle Kingdom 10 match...

During these past few years, Wrestle Kingdom has provided some of the best professional wrestling matches of the year including Nakamura v. A.J. Styles at Wrestle Kingdom 10, Okada v. Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 11, and Jericho v. Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 12.

Many people in the WWE Universe are hoping for a rematch of Styles and Nakamura for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 34. Nakamura is listed as one of the favorites to win the Royal Rumble; which is one way how this dream re-match can happen within the WWE.

When it comes to the WWE, there seems to be a shift in the biggest pay per view of the year for the company. There was a time where it was full of epic matches, including one of the best of all-time between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker at WrestleMania 25.

Now WrestleMania still delivers big moments and pays off some of the biggest feuds of the year, but the dynamic of the show has changed from a pure pro wrestling show to more of an entertainment spectacular.

Many consider the WrestleMania XXV match between Undertaker and HBK as one of the best ever...

A good comparison is in the NFL with the Super Bowl. While there are several million fans of the sport who will watch every week, the number of viewers astronomically grows when the Super Bowl is on because it's a casual attraction.

People love to watch the Super Bowl as an excuse to have a party, to see the extravagant halftime show, and to see the commercials that corporations spend millions of dollars on each year to entertain us.

Over the past couple of years, WrestleMania seems to have transformed into an event that draws the casual crowd that doesn't watch every episode of Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live every week. Each of the past three main events has included a part-time wrestler in the final match rather than someone who's there every week.

Last year's two biggest matches at WrestleMania 33 included three part-time superstars of the four who competed. Goldberg took on Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship; while Roman Reigns took on The Undertaker to close the show.

Undertaker leaves his gear in the ring to close WrestleMania 33...

Unless there is a change in the rumored main event of WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans, Louisiana, Brock Lesnar will be in one of the main events again potentially taking on Roman Reigns.

There is not a firm reason as to why Vince McMahon is leaning on part-time wrestlers for the biggest spots at WrestleMania lately, but one could be the fact that guys like Brock Lesnar are able to capture headlines outside of the professional wrestling world; which helps bring that casual crowd to watch WrestleMania.

That is why the pinnacle of pro wrestling events has shifted from WrestleMania to Wrestle Kingdom for the pro wrestling fanatic, and that is not a knock to the WWE at all. These two events have a different goal and agenda. They're geared to two different segments of the pro wrestling fans.

Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega tore the house down at Wrestle Kingdom 12...

Wrestle Kingdom is about providing that best matches of the year; while WrestleMania is out to provide the best moments that will get people talking the next day and beyond.

There is a good chance that this will not always be the case, but in the present, that is what both shows provide to their fans. As professional wrestling evolves, both Wrestle Kingdom and WrestleMania will evolve as well.

Part of that evolution is the NXT Takeover events. The NXT brand focuses on the basics and provides some of the best professional wrestling the WWE has to offer throughout the year, and when Triple H moves from being "The Creator" of NXT to that same role in the WWE, you expect yet another evolution in the sport of professional wrestling.