#3: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Minoru Suzuki, NJPW King of Pro Wrestling (10/8/2012).
This is for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
Right off the bat, I'll tell you this: this is one of the most unique matches in pro wrestling history.
Both men were in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 6, where Tanahashi defended the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Suzuki. Of course, no one remembers that match, because it was overshadowed by the aftermath, where Tanahashi was confronted by a young and cocky newcomer named Kazuchika Okada.
They would trade the title in a series of matches that would help turn the ship around for New Japan in the years to come, but Tanahashi is still very much the Ace of the company. After defeating Tanahashi in the G1 Climax, Suzuki questions whether Tanahashi is the man to carry the promotion forward. Is he the face of Strong Style?
Tanahashi has heard this before, and each time, he's proven his detractors wrong. And by this point, it pisses him off that some people still doubt his place in the company. So, his strategy here is simple: He's going to do things his way, and fuck everybody else. Tana has a point to prove against Suzuki. His challenger is a pioneer of what would become modern Mixed Martial Arts, and is one of the most dangerous wrestlers in Japan. Tana is going to face this man and match him hold for hold, but he'll do it on his own terms.
And that lays the foundation for this incredibly unique contest, which features checks my notes zero pinfall attempts! No, this match is famous among wrestling fans for how dedicated it is to the psychology of limb damage. Suzuki is laser focused on targeting and tearing apart Tanahashi's injured arm, while Tanahashi has his eyes set on tearing apart Suzuki's legs. And, that's it! The entire match is just an exchange of submission holds, and grappling. It's amazing.
It's very telling as well, because in the heyday of All Japan in the 1990s, submissions were considered irrelevant by founder Giant Baba. So here, in 2012, Tanahashi locking in a Figure Four Leglock on Suzuki gets a raucious response from the fans in Sumo Hall! Neither man relents from their strategy, either. It makes for a compelling contest that realistically could end at any moment. That's what separates this from a lot of other matches - it is steeped in realism.
Tana looks like a badass being able to stand toe to toe in grappling with someone the likes of Suzuki, who takes a ton of pleasure in absolutely destroying Tana throughout this match. As it reaches its conclusion, Tana catches Suzuki with a Dragon Screw Legwhip that drops him long enough for Tana to hit the High Fly Flow, and pin Suzuki to win! The only pinfall is the one that ends the match.
After all the doubt and criticism from Suzuki, Tanahashi played his game, but won the match his way. He finally silenced the doubters that he can do Strong Style as well as anyone, and he still won the match his way, with an exciting high offense move. It was beautiful. Both men look absolutely battered by the end of this, as they should. This felt like a real fight, with legitimate psychology, and amazing limb work and selling. Bret Hart would be proud of a match like this.