Hiroshi Tanahashi Signs New NJPW Contract
NJPW legend Hiroshi Tanahashi isn’t going anywhere.
46-year-old Tanahashi posted on his personal blog that he visited NJPW’s offices to sign a new contract that will see him stay with the company for the foreseeable future. The exact details of the contract remain unknown.
Tanahashi debuted for New Japan in 1999 and has remained there ever since. His former mentor Keiji Muto asked him to join him when he jumped ship to All Japan in 2002 but Tanahashi declined.
And soon afterwards, Tanahashi was one of two Japanese wrestlers scouted by WWE but WWE went with the other one instead, that being Kenzo Suzuki.
Hiroshi Tanahashi’s loyalty to New Japan paid off in spades. He won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship a record eight times between 2006 and 2019. He has main-evented New Japan’s annual January 4th Tokyo Dome Show nine times between 2005 and 2016.
He has also won every single other singles and tag title available to him in New Japan, as well as both the G1 Climax and the New Japan cup more than once each.
Hiroshi Tanahashi’s most recent big match stateside was at AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door when he challenged Jon Moxley for the interim AEW World Championship but failed to win the title.