Hiroshi Tanahashi now knows who he will face at NJPW’s biggest show of the year.
Earlier in the month at the New Japan King of Pro-Wrestling show, The Ace announced that he would be embarking on a lengthy retirement tour that would culminate in 2026 at Wrestle Kingdom 20. Providing follow up comments in a press conference later in the month, Tanahashi later confirmed that after he had competed in his final match he would transition to a full-time office role moving forward. Currently, Tanahashi is the President of New Japan after being appointed in the role in late 2023.
The press conference was crashed by EVIL, who stated that he intended to cut short the 8-time World Champion’s retirement tour a year in advance and challenged Tanahashi to a match at Wrestle Kingdom 19. The match has since been made official and is also the first match announced for Wrestle Kingdom 19.
The show is expected to be main evented by Zack Sabre Jr. who won the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at the King of Pro-Wrestling show. Wrestle Kingdom 19 will take place at the Tokyo Dome on January 4th, 2025.
Hiroshi Tanahashi Recently Competed In The UK
The Wrestle Kingdom announcement comes less than a week after The Ace competed in 2 matches in the UK. Beginning with a victory in a 6 man tag team match at RevPro’s Global Wars in Doncaster, Hiroshi Tanahashi was unsuccessful in defeating Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste for the Strong Openweight Tag Team Championships. Tanahashi’s partner was Tomohiro Ishii.
Featured image: AEW
