#4 Shingo Takagi vs. Jeff Cobb for the NEVER Openweight Championship (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 2)
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 featured plenty of matches that had fans and analysts salivating to watch. One of those bouts had to be the clash between Shingo Takagi and Jeff Cobb for the NEVER Openweight Championship. The history of hard-hitting contests for this title at the Tokyo Dome has seen stars like Tomohiro Ishii, Katsuyori Shibata and Minoru Suzuki nearly steal the show in years past.
At NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15, not only did this heavyweight slugfest produced a show-stealing encounter, but it also delivered the greatest match in the career of Jeff Cobb. The former Olympian put on a spectacular performance that showcased his versatile abilities. His agility and power were on display and wowed the Tokyo Dome crowd.
While Shingo Takagi has been a MVP for New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2020, he had yet to produce a Tokyo Dome classic. This more than delivered that and showed why he has long been considered one of the best wrestlers in the world. This was an excellent match that blew away expectations in every way with Shingo Takagi pulling out the win to successfully retain his title.
Star Rating: ****3/4