Hiroshi Tanahashi's Final Opponent Revealed

Former NJPW star and current AEW star Kazuchika Okada is his final opponent. For the last time, fans will see Tanahashi vs. Okada wrestle a final time at the Tokyo Dome at Wrestle Kingdom.

The match was set up after Tanahashi defeated Yuto-Ice in the main event of NJPW’s Road in Anjo. The show was held in Okada’s hometown, and it was also his birthday, so he made a surprise appearance after the match. Okada came out to his coin-drop theme from his NJPW days, and there he confronted both Tanahashi and his former manager, Gedo. He challenged The Ace for a match, and the rest is history.

The two have faced each other plenty of times throughout their careers. Okada and Tanahashi’s last match they had was at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door in June 2024. There, Tanahashi teamed with AEW’s Max Caster and Anthony Bowens to defeat Okada and The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson).

This upcoming match will be the fourth time that Okada and Tanahashi have wrestled against (or together) at Wrestle Kingdom. The first time was in 2013 at Wrestle Kingdom 7, when Tanahashi got the win. Two years later, in 2015, at Wrestle Kingdom 9, Tanahashi would get the win again over the Rainmaker. Though Okada finally would get his win at Wrestle Kingdom 10.

Other Matches Set For Wrestle Kingdom

Their last and fourth Wrestle Kingdom match was actually a tag team match. It was at Wrestle Kingdom in January 2022, where they would be in an NJPW vs. Pro Wrestling NOAH match. Okada and Tanahashi defeated Kaito Kiyomiya & Keiji Muto

Wrestle Kingdom 20 is set for January 4, 2025. For those who don’t know, Wrestle Kingdom is NJPW’s equivalent to WWE’s WrestleMania. Other matches set for the event include Okada’s enemy and Don Callis Family stablemate Konosuke Takeshita, who is the current IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, will be defending against IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion Yota Tsuji in a winner-takes-all match.

Another winner-takes-all match is NJPW Strong Women’s Champion Saya Kamitani versus IWGP Women’s Champion Syuri. Also, EVIL is set to defend the NEVER Openweight title against Aaron Wolf. So wrestling fans won’t want to miss Wrestle Kingdom.