Well… I’m back with this. Doing what I love the most: talking about puroresu. Before I actually talk about what has been the best stuff in puro all year, I’d like to make a note of the fact that this has been by far the best year for the scene this decade. Cheering is back, promotions trying new stuff, so many cool collaborations, and in general it’s been a fantastic year as a fan. Alright then let’s get to it.
SHOW OF THE YEAR
NOAH KEIJI MUTO GRAND FINAL (21/2)
For my money, the best show of the year in professional wrestling anywhere so far. Some of the absolute best wrestling that you will find anywhere in the world, amazing vibes and crazy moments featuring promotions from all over Japan and the retirement of one of the most iconic pro wrestlers of all time made this a tremendous watch.
Honorable mentions: STARDOM All Star Grand Queendom (23/4) and NJPW Sakura Genesis (9/4)
TAG TEAM OF THE YEAR
ASTRONAUTS
I mean, who else? The absolute best tag team in the world for so long now. Currently on what I believe to be the greatest tag team championship reign of all time, they are the model of consistency. Their rivalry with Strong BJ is one of the best in recent memory. A must watch every time they’re featured on any show.
Match recommendations:
w/ Daisuke Sekimoto vs Similarity & Daimonji So (BJW, 2/1)
vs Crazy Lovers (BJW, 8/2)
vs Strong BJW (BJW, 13/2)
vs Yuji Okabayashi & Yasufumi Nakanoue (BJW, 17/3)
w/ Yuya Aoki vs Yuji Okabayashi, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Daimonji So (BJW, 26/3)
vs Similarity (BJW, 4/5)
vs Strong BJ(BJW, 28/5)
Honorable Mentions: Dream Team, Strong BJ
FEUD OF THE YEAR
3. KAZUCHIKA OKADA VS SHOTA UMINO & REN NARITA
Genuinely some of the most exhilarating stuff in wrestling anywhere. Okada just hates these guys, and they won’t stop bothering him because they want to usurp him, and he just wants to kill them for it. It’s absolutely electric. And it’s not even Okada’s best feud this year!
2. YUJI OKABAYASHI VS FUMINORI ABE
I debated with myself whether I should go with this or Astronauts vs Strong BJ many times, but I just couldn’t take the spotlight from ONLY these two. An absolutely incredible pairing. Abe is such an annoying shithead and he keeps bothering Okabayashi and eats shit for it. It’s such a joy to watch. From the tags to the singles match, it’s all recommended viewing.
1. KAZUCHIKA OKADA VS KAITO KIYOMIYA
The single most electric pairing in all of professional wrestling. That kick to the face flipped a switch in Okada, and it’s been an absolutely incredible experience since then. Their match at the Dome was fantastic, and then the All together main event featured some amazing interactions between the two. From a character point of view, this feud has completely rejuvenated Okada. It’s still not done yet, and I can not wait for what’s to come.
TOP 30 MATCHES OF THE YEAR
30. Will Ospreay vs Taichi (NJPW, 4/2)
29. Lio Rush vs Speedball Mike Bailey (NJPW, 23/5)
28. Fuminori Abe vs Kota Sekifuda (BJW, 12/2)
27. Kazusada Higuchi vs Chris Brookes (DDT, 21/5)
26. Aussie Open vs Bishamon (NJPW, 8/4)
25. Kento Miyahara vs Yuji Nagata (AJPW, 18/2)
24. Mio Momono vs Chihiro Hashimoto (Marvelous, 15/3)
23. Astronauts vs Strong BJ (BJW, 28/5)
22. Yuji Okabayashi vs Takuho Kato (BJW, 30/6)
21. Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Tomohiro Ishii vs Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli & Shota Umino (NJPW, 4/6)
20. Chihiro Hashimoto vs Syuri (STARDOM, 23/4)
19. Lio Rush vs Hiromu Takahashi (NJPW, 21/3)
18. Kento Miyahara vs Yuma Aoyagi (AJPW, 4/2)
17. Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida vs Kota Umeda & Takeshi Masada (DDT, 28/5)
16. Kazuchika Okada & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Bishamon (NJPW, 6/3)
15. Mio Momono vs Chikayo Nagashima (Marvelous, 3/5)
14. Fuminori Abe vs Yuji Okabayashi (BJW, 28/5)
13. Kento Miyahara & Takuya Nomura vs Yuma Aoyagi & Naoya Nomura (AJPW, 21/1)
12. Kazuchika Okada & Togi Makabe vs Kaito Kiyomiya & Yoshiki Inamura (NJPW, 21/1)
11. Master Wato vs Titan (NJPW, 28/5)
10. Strong BJ vs Violent Giants (AJPW, 17/6)
9. Astronauts vs Crazy Lovers (BJW, 8/2)
8. Mio Momono & Mika Iwata vs Aja Kong & Sareee (Pinx!, 23/5)
7. Kazuchika Okada vs Shingo Takagi (NJPW, 11/2)
6. Miyuki Takase vs Emi Sakura (GTMV/DPW, 27/4)
5. Kazuchika Okada, Kenoh & Yuma Aoyagi vs Kaito Kiyomiya, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kento Miyahara (All Together, 9/6)
4. Kenny Omega vs Will Ospreay (NJPW, 4/1)
3. Kazuchika Okada vs Kaito Kiyomiya (NOAH, 21/2)
2. Yuji Okabayashi vs Yuya Aoki (BJW, 4/5)
1. Fuminori Abe & Ikuto Hidaka vs Masaaki Mochizuki & Fujita Jr Hayato (Michinoku Pro, 30/6)
PROMOTION OF THE YEAR
3. AJPW
The special thing about Zen Nihon is… Kento Miyahara. He’s always the one that keeps holding the promotion together, and I’m sure many people will agree with me on that. However, in addition to him being absolutely incredible, they’ve done so much cool stuff. Their interpromotional feud with NOAH is one of the only two interesting things related to NOAH right now, and the GLEAT stuff is very good as well. In addition to that, them pushing new guys to the top has freshened up the main event scene as well. All in all, it’s been a very good year for the promotion so far.
2. BJW
There’s no promotion in the world with a better in-ring output than Big Japan. Astronauts are on a different level as usual, Okabayashi up until his break was on an absolute TEAR. Those 3 guys holding the promotion together and guys like Sekimoto, Aoki, Kato, Nakanoue, and others being great around them, it’s just appointment viewing.
1. NJPW
There was really no other choice for this. The hottest promotion in all of Japan and the best one in the world for my money as well. The sheer amount of great things they’ve done this year is amazing. Bringing back the young lions and immediately slotting them in big spots and making new main eventers.
Fresh matchups and programs, even in the Jr division, giving Okada new things to do, hell, they even managed to make a part of the Bullet Club interesting in 2023. It’s still not perfect, but it’s so exciting to actually look forward to what they’re going to do next.
TOP 10 WRESTLERS OF THE YEAR
10. HIROMU TAKAHASHI
Match Recommendations:
Vs YOH (NJPW, 5/2)
Vs AMAKUSA (NOAH, 21/2)
Vs Lio Rush (NJPW, 21/3)
Vs Yoshinobu Kanemaru (NJPW, 27/4)
Vs SANADA (NJPW, 3/5)
Vs Speedball Mike Bailey (NJPW, 12/5)
Vs Lio Rush (NJPW, 14/5)
9. EL DESPERADO
Match Recommendations:
w/ Mistico & Soberano Jr vs DOUKI, Hechicero & Templario (NJPW, 26/2)
Strong Style vs Dream Team & Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW, 3/5)
Vs Yoshinobu Kanemaru (NJPW, 12/5)
Vs YOH (NJPW, 17/5)
Vs Francesco Akira (NJPW, 21/5)
Vs Robbie Eagles (NJPW, 24/5)
Vs Titan (NJPW, 26/5)
8. KAZUSADA HIGUCHI
Match Recommendations:
Vs Yuki Ishida (DDT, 5/1)
Vs Yuji Hino (DDT, 29/1)
Vs Yusuke Okada (DDT, 6/5)
Vs Hideki Okatani (DDT, 7/5)
Vs Yuki Ueno (DDT, 21/5)
Vs Chris Brookes (DDT, 21/5)
HARIMAO vs Kota Umeda & Takeshi Masada (DDT, 28/5)
7. YUMA AOYAGI
Match Recommendations:
MiyaKen to Takuya vs Nomuyagi (AJPW, 22/1)
Vs Kento Miyahara (AJPW, 4/2)
W/Suwama & Kento Miyahara vs Kongoh (NOAH, 21/2)
Nomuyagi vs Kongoh (AJPW, 21/3)
Vs Kento Miyahara (AJPW, 8/4)
Vs Atsuki Aoyagi (AJPW, 14/5)
W/Kazuchika Okada & Kenoh vs Kaito Kiyomiya, Hiroshi Tanahashi &
Kento Miyahara (All Together, 9/6)
6. MIO MOMONO
Match Recommendations:
Vs Arisa Nakajima (Marvelous, 21/2)
Vs Mika Iwata (Sendai Girls, 24/2)
Vs Chihiro Hashimoto (Marvelous, 15/3)
Vs VENY (Marvelous, 22/4)
Vs Chikayo Nagashima (Marvelous, 3/5)
Vs Masha Slamovich (West Coast Pro, 13/5)
W/Mika Iwata vs Sareee & Aja Kong (Pinx!, 23/5)
5. KENTO MIYAHARA
Vs Takuya Nomura (AJPW, 3/1)
MiyaKen to Takuya vs Nomuyagi (AJPW, 22/1)
Vs Yuma Aoyagi (AJPW, 4/2)
Vs Yuji Nagata (AJPW, 18/2)
W/Yuma Anzai & Ryo Inoue vs Masa Kitamiya, Yoshiki Inamura & Kinya Okada (AJPW, 21/3)
Vs Yuma Aoyagi (AJPW, 8/4)
Vs T-Hawk (AJPW, 4/5)
W/Kaito Kiyomiya & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kazuchika Okada, Kenoh & Yuma Aoyagi (All Together, 9/6)
W/Yuma Aoyagi vs Kongoh (AJPW, 15/6)
4. TAKUYA NOMURA
Match Recommendations:
Vs Kento Miyahara (AJPW, 3/1)
MiyaKen to Takuya vs Nomuyagi (AJPW, 22/1)
Astronauts vs Crazy Lovers (BJW, 8/2)
W/Takuho Kato vs Yuji Okabayashi & Yasufumi Nakanoue (BJW, 19/2)
Astronauts vs Yuji Okabayashi & Yasufumi Nakanoue (BJW, 17/3)
W/Yuya Aoki vs Strong BJW (BJW, 1/4)
Astronauts vs Yuji Okabayashi & Hiroyuki Suzki (BJW, 13/4)
Astronauts vs Similarity (BJW, 4/5)
Vs Daisuke Sekimoto (BJW 28/5)
3. FUMINORI ABE
Match Recommendations:
Astronauts & Daisuke Sekimoto vs Similarity & Daimonji So (BJW, 2/1)
Astronauts vs Crazy Lovers (BJW, 8/2)
Vs Kota Sekifuda (BJW, 12/2)
Astronauts vs Strong BJ (BJW, 13/2)
Astronauts vs Yuji Okabayashi & Yasufumi Nakanoue (BJW, 17/3)
Astronauts & Yuya Aoki vs Yuji Okabayashi, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Daimonji So (BJW, 26/3)
Astronauts vs Similarity (BJW, 4/5)
Vs Yuji Okabayashi (BJW, 28/5)
W/Ikuto Hidaka vs Masaaki Mochizuki & Fujita Jr Hayato (MPro, 30/6)
2. YUJI OKABAYASHI
Match Recommendations:
Astronauts vs Strong BJ (BJW, 13/2)
Yuji Okabayashi & Yasufumi Nakanoue vs Takuya Nomura & Takuho Kato (BJW, 19/2)
Vs Daimonji So (BJW, 11/3)
Strong BJ & Daimonji So vs Yuya Aoki, Daichi Hashimoto & Kazumasa Yoshida (BJW, 28/3)
Vs Yuya Aoki (BJW, 4/5)
Vs Fuminori Abe (BJW, 28/5)
Astronauts vs Strong BJW (BJW, 28/5)
Strong BJ vs Violent Giants (BJW, 17/6)
Vs Yasufumi Nakanoue (BJW, 29/6)
Vs Takuho Kato (BJW, 30/6)
1. KAZUCHIKA OKADA
W/Togi Makabe vs Kaito Kiyomiya & Yoshiki Inamura (NJPW, 22/1)
Vs Shingo Takagi (NJPW, 11/2)
Vs Kaito Kiyomiya (NJPW, 21/2)
Dream Team vs Bishamon (NJPW, 6/3)
Dream Team vs Shota Umino & Ren Narita (NJPW, 11/3)
Vs SANADA (NJPW, 8/4)
Dream Team & Tomohiro Ishii vs STRONG STYLE (NJPW, 3/5)
CHAOS Vs BCC & Shota Umino (NJPW, 21/5)
Dream Team & Tomohiro Ishii vs BCC & Shota Umino (NJPW, 4/6)
W/Yuma Aoyagi & Kenoh vs Kaito Kiyomiya, Kento Miyahara & Hiroshi Tanahashi (All Together, 9/6)
And that’s a wrap for mid-year puro goodness from my side, but there’s still so much to go in the year. Tournament season is upon us, and a lot of big feuds could see their climax in the coming months. With how unpredictable every promotion has been, it’s only going to get better as well. God bless!
