5. shingo takagi
Ever since winning the NEVER Openweight Championship, Shingo Takagi has been a force to be reckoned with. With this current reign, he has single-handedly made this championship look as valuable as it’s ever been, which for a while had been overshadowed by the other bigger single championships in New Japan. I think Shingo is highly underrated in the mic. He is loud & proud, and he will speak his mind always. I like that about Shingo. Also, he is a massive, beefy, Lariato-hitting mass of destruction. And he’s a dragon. How can you not like him?
Best Shingo Takagi Match in 2020 (so far): Dominion 2020 – Shingo Takagi vs SHO
4. kazuchika okada
Kazuchika Okada took a blow at the start of the year that has been hard for him to recover when he lost his precious IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 14. Although he has faced foes like Taichi & now Yujiro Takahashi, and has beat them all, he seems to be out of the spotlight that he use to be as the face of New Japan. For many, this is a sigh of relieve and a chance for new and fresher faces on top of the game. For others, it’s been a rollercoaster ride. But for Okada, he has not shown signs of backing down, and as of recently he presented KOPW 2020, which will determined in a 4-way match at Summer Struggle in Jingu. The winner of the match will be the provisional champion, which curiously it won’t be presented as a belt and it resets every years. I think this is a very interesting new concept introduced by Okada, and we’ll see how it goes.
Best Kazuchika Okada Match in 2020 (so far): (tie) WK 14 Okada vs Ibushi & Okada vs Naito
3. hiromu takahashi
You guys know how much I love Hiromu Takahashi. While some of you may think it could be bias I have him this high in the ranks, well first off.. you’re wrong! Hiromu has really been proving how much of a hard worker he is. Coming back from a dangerous neck injury to being able to pull amazing matches with Ryu Lee, Tomohiro Ishii, Kazuchika Okada & EVIL most recently, I wish I could just list him as #1 if I wanted to. I’m gonna play fair and decided to not, but third place is not that bad. Hopefully by the end of the year he continues to prove us all how great he is, and soon become IWGP Junior/Heavyweight Champion.
Best Hiromu Takahashi match in 2020 (so far): New Japan Cup 2020 Quarter Finals – Hiromu vs Ishii
2. tetsuya naito
Tetsuya Naito started off the year 2020 with a banger winning both the IWGP Intercontinental AND Heavyweight Championship at both events for Wrestle Kingdom 14 respectively. Asides the uneventful interruption and sneak attack by KENTA at the end of the final show, Naito seemed rather untouchable. The dream that all LIJ stans wanted to see happen became a reality. It look like Naito was becoming the new face of NJPW. UNTIL the very unfortunate and inexplicable turn of events happen. When at the very end of the New Japan Cup finale, and what followed after, has left us all LIJ stans heartbroken and sad. I didn’t list Naito higher because other than the KENTA/Naito rivalry. Let’s face it, guys! His reign wasn’t all that great as much as we wish it was. Mostly because of circumstances which are understandable so let’s hope and pray we get a second chance.
Best Tetsuya Naito match in 2020 (so far): New Beginning in Osaka 2020 – Naito vs KENTA
Ali's Wrestling Blog 