#1 Katsuyori Shibata vs. Kazuchika Okada
Now this is a match with so much story that it's going to take a few paragraphs to explain.
In 1999 New Japan decided it wanted to bring more legitimacy back to pro wrestling. They did this by bringing in MMA fighters to be wrestlers and wrestlers being forced to compete in MMA matches.
This booking decision went terribly! The wrestlers got their asses handed to them in a legitimate competition. The MMA fighters struggled to put on good wrestling matches. The company came face-to-face with financial burden. They weren't making enough money to survive.
The position to carry the company for years to come had fallen onto three rookies. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Katsuyori Shibata. Shibata decided to leave the company in the middle of the companies financial problems.
Tanahashi becomes the Ace of New Japan and Nakamura becomes the companies number two. They are forced to carry the company and bring it back from financial crisis into success. They achieve this.
In 2012 New Japan has recovered from its terrible booking decisions in the early 2000's. This is when Shibata returns to the company. Shibata is forced to prove himself to the people he betrayed when he left. Shibata goes through several years of trials and tribulations to prove himself.
He proves himself to both of the men he abandoned all those years ago.
It's January 4th, 2016 Wrestle Kingdom 10 and the main event is Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi. Okada defeats Tanahashi to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. In the process Okada becomes the face of new ace of New Japan.
Shibata wins the 2017 New Japan Cup in order to challenge Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight championship. This is Shibata's big opportunity to not only become champion, but ascend to a position in the main event that he was supposed to be a part of all those years ago.
(Note: That headbutt ended Shibata's career)
The match begins and Shibata out wrestles him. Okada attempts to out do Shibata with a strike exchange but loses the exchange. Shibata is better then Okada. The only chance Okada has is to out last Shibata. That's a tall order considering that Shibata is one of, if not the toughest in man in professional wrestling.
Shibata is obsessed with the idea of proving how much better he is. He can't just beat him, he needs to decimate Okada. Shibata takes this so far that he refuses to go down when Okada hits his finisher.
Shibata's downfall is his refusal to accept anything less than annihilation. Wheather he likes it or not he's not that much better than Okada. He can't end him. Okada uses this to his advantage to hit his finisher a second time and wins the match.