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Major Update On WWE Star Potentially Being Hiroshi Tanahashi's Last Opponent

Originally posted on Wrestling on SI | By Jon Alba | Last updated Nov 6, 2025 6:03 PM ET

New Japan Pro-Wrestling legend Hiroshi Tanahashi is set to hang up his boots this year, and there is speculation on who his final opponent may be. While one WWE star has been rumored, a new report indicates it is unlikely to come to fruition.

The 48-year-old Tanahashi, who is also the president and representative director of NJPW, announced in October of last year that 2025 would be his final year as an active wrestler. He indicated he would be retiring at Wrestle Kingdom 20 on January 4, leading to wrestling fans wondering who his last match will be against.

According to a new report from Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select, NJPW has narrowed down Tanahashi's potential opponents to three individuals, with the expectation being that the match will be formally announced with a press conference at some point in the next week. Don't expect it to be Shinsuke Nakamura, however.

Sapp reports that while Nakamura's name has come up as part of internal discussions for the match, an appearance by the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion is seen as a "pipe dream," making the bout unlikely to happen.

Nakamura and Tanahashi Fight Forever

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Though it has been nearly a decade since Nakamura and Tanahashi last linked up, the two are considered two of the biggest Japanese wrestling stars to ever step in a ring.

Per Cagematch, the two have shared a ring together nearly 400 times over the course of the past 20 years, though their last match was in 2016, just prior to Nakamura leaving Japan to sign with WWE. While Nakamura never became a main event staple in WWE, he is still a two-time NXT Champion, two-time Intercontinental Champion, three-time United States Champion, and a former SmackDown Tag Team Champion as well.

Part of the complications that may arise with one last Tanahashi and Nakamura match would be the relationship between WWE and NJPW. AEW currently has an active working partnership with NJPW, holding the annual Forbidden Door pay-per-view with NJPW as a major piece of the show.

Tanahashi has appeared several times with AEW, and wrestled his final match for the promotion in a Lights Out Steel Cage match at Forbidden Door this year.