With over 25 years in the business under his belt, NJPW icon Hiroshi Tanahashi made a huge announcement at the company's King of Pro-Wrestling event on October 14, revealing that he will retire in the near future.
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Tanahashi teamed up with El Phantasmo and Shota Umino to defeat the House of Torture inside Ryogoku Sumo Hall in Tokyo. After the match, Tanahashi took to the microphone to let the fans know that time is winding down on his career, and he has had to make the very difficult decision to retire from wrestling. "The Ace" confirmed that his final match will take place on January 4, 2026, which will likely be the company's Wrestle Kingdom 20 event at the Tokyo Dome. However, that has yet to be confirmed.
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Even though 2025 will be his final year inside a ring, Tanahashi will still have a major role in NJPW as the company's president. Tanahashi has laid out his plan for what he looks to do with the company under his leadership, which included strengthening the company's ties with both AEW and STARDOM, elevating the current championships, and improving the company's streaming service, NJPW World.
Tanahashi's retirement announcement is the latest in a long line of big names who have decided to hang up their boots. In AEW, Sting had his last match at Revolution 2024, while Bryan Danielson retired from full-time action at WrestleDream. In WWE, John Cena announced that 2025 will be his final year as an active wrestler, and in Japan, Keiji Muto had his big send off in the Tokyo Dome at the beginning of 2023.
