Hiroshi Tanahashi returns to Wrestle Kingdom on Jan. 4.
A pioneer of the event, Tanahashi defended the IWGP heavyweight championship at the inaugural Wrestle Kingdom in 2007, then headlined the show the following year. He defeated Keiji Muto in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom III, a seminal moment that helped lay the foundation for the brilliance to come.
Now, at Wrestle Kingdom 17, Tanahashi will team with Muto in his final match for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. They will partner with rising star Shota Umino in a six-man tag against Los Ingobernables de Japon’s Tetsuya Naito, Sanada and Bushi.