Is Tanahashi vs Okada an All-Time Classic rivalry?

Probably. The storytelling from match to match and how it evolves is amazing. First match is all about this cocky rookie that everyone laughed out of the building when he challenged Tanahashi. Tanahashi who was the vet on a record breaking run of 11 successful title defenses going on what should have been 12 only to take Okada lightly and get pretty much ruined (that match is 70% Okada after the tombstone on the outside).

The second is Tanahashi going "aight, fuck this, I ain't taking this douche lightly again, I want my title back" and proceeding to show Okada why he's the vet and getting his title back after the first classic match in their rivalry.

By the third match, it starts evolving into what it the feud became famous for which is allllll about the Rainmaker. Okada has rounded out into a great performer truly worthy of the title after winning the G1 for this shot, more a Champion vs Challenger main-event style match rather than I took you too lightly/Not making that mistake again. What proceeds is a classic which boils down to, Tanahashi going "Okada can't get it done without the Rainmaker, but I'm done if I'm hit with it, I'mma avoid it like the plauge" and that he does, barely. Which is a key part to the next chapter.

Invasion Attack 2013 is the most famous match of the series. After the Dome Tanahashi realized it's not enough to avoid the Rainmaker because I barely got away from it last time and I'm history if it hits. So Tanahashi decides, on a new gameplan. Fucking ruin Okada's Rainmaker arm. What proceeds is some fucking awesome limb work and limb selling and Okada pulling it out after one hell of a closing stretch with a bad arm Rainmaker.

The fifth match is underrated in my eyes, it's the perfect draw. Similar to the first match kinda, expect the closing stretch which is fucking awesome, both guys keeling after Okada just misses the Rainmaker and the bell ringing because half hour is up is a great finish.

The sixth match is perfect because it cements Okada as the guy. All those other matches, Tanahashi is the key part of the match (Tana takes him lightly, Tana doesn't take him lightly, Tana avoids the Rainmaker, Tana destroys the Rainmaker arm) but now it's Okada. Tana is the focal point because he's the Ace, even when he wasn't champ, it was Ace vs Champ. This match is Champion vs Challenger. This match, Tanahashi plays the heel, he acts cocky, but it's cockiness in a "I'm in your head" way rather than the take him lightly way. Okada get's wise to Tanahashi's doucheyness after Tana feigns a leg injury early on and what follows is a Champion vs Challenger match where Okada just dispatches Tana like another dude he has to run through.

A year passes and this feud is revisited at this years Dome show. If the first Dome match was a typical main-event match, then this match is a spectacle main-event match, which is probably the next genius evolution of the series, it's not Tana vs some guy or Okada vs some guy anymore, it's THE guys going at it. I've seen some people complain about this match being the same as all the others, fuck that. This was wild. Okada is a man possessed, he wants to get back what he lost to that douche foreigner AJ Styles. Tanahashi isn't about to let him get it back. This is the perfect match to see that Okada has grown into more than "Can be carried to a great match" performer to "Top 20 in the World tier". Dude milks the dropkick like fuck, spots where he usually does the dropkick (like the opponent ontop of the turnbuckle getting dropkicked off) is now a european uppercut. He waits for the perfect climax to pull it out and the crowd pop huge for it. Dude kicks out of 9 HFF's, but, Tanahashi also kicks out of the Rainmaker, for the first time ever, Striker on English commentary sells it like all Tana's leg work made it so Okada can't step into the Rainmaker like he usually does and thus can't get full power, which is probably the call of Strikers career. Old Okada would have been shaken by this, but Now Okada powers through and keeps on trying, until he's beaten by 3 HFF's in a row. A loss which a month later seemingly is going to be the story of Okada's year with his probable losing streak and subsequent losing streak.

Fuck. I wrote way more than I meant too, I only meant to write a paragraph. I fucking love this feud.

/r/SquaredCircle Thread