Top 10 best NJPW matches of 2021 so far

#3 Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 1)

OKADA vs OSPREAY IN 3️⃣ DAYS!After Ospreay tried time and again to defeat CHAOS 'big brother' Okada, it was G1 Climax 30 that saw him take drastic measures. 👀 https://t.co/mKCiNJcomeWRESTLE KINGDOM 15 LIVE & IN ENGLISH on @njpwworld!https://t.co/cEFFsYsBAi #njwk15 #njpw pic.twitter.com/SzruUt6NvP

— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) January 1, 2021

Not many NJPW feuds were as personal as Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay. The two former friends had developed a relationship that was more akin to brothers with Okada guiding Ospreay in New Japan since approving the young Brit after facing him in Revolution Pro.

However, numerous consecutive losses to Okada started to wear on Ospreay. This led to his ultimate betrayal of The Rainmaker in the G1 Climax 30 tournament when Bea Priestley and Great-O-Khan helped Ospreay defeat Okada for the first time. They formed the Empire stable and looked to be the final nail in the coffin for Okada in NJPW.

This set the stage for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 1 in a grudge match for the ages. The two men had put on terrific matches in the past, but the Tokyo Dome added extra gravitas to their performances. Ospreay was a different competitor altogether.

The Commonwealth Kingpin traded in his awesome high-flying arsenal for a more physical, hard-hitting style that inflicted punishment. Okada's selling made Ospreay feel like a focused athlete and made his eventual comeback thrilling.

Rainmaker, Hidden Blade to the front, Storm Breaker = Ospreay retains the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Shingo! The main event of Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome will be Ospreay vs Okada for the title!#njpw #njdontaku pic.twitter.com/q2TNRb1vQT

— Ciaràn (@CiaranRH) May 4, 2021

Okada had a strange 2020. After losing the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14, The Rainmaker shifted his repeitoire. He had rested his signature Rainmaker finisher and started using a new Money Clip submission for polarizing results. He used that again here, but it was not enough to put away Ospreay.

Okada would pull out a variety of tombstone piledrivers and even reverse Ospreay's Stormbreaker into a Michinoku-style tombstone. Okada finally hit the Rainmaker after a whole year to a roaring reaction from the Tokyo Dome crowd to take the win.

It was superb storytelling and facial expressions. Okada and Ospreay were supposed to be the main event of the Tokyo Dome for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship before Will's injury, but this will definitely be a match NJPW runs back after their classic at Wrestle Kingdom 15.