What Hiroshi Tanahashi represents is a once in a lifetime talent. He transcends all boundaries and is the man who’s responsible for bringing New Japan Pro Wrestling out of the dark ages from mid to late 2000s. Becoming the undisputed Ace of the company, he led NJPW and Japanese wrestling to new heights.
He may not be the Ace anymore, as that role belongs to Kazuchika Okada. But even then, there’s absolutely no denying the impact that Tanahashi has had on the wrestling business. Through the years, as he’s put on all-time classics after all-time classics, his fan base across the world has increased and he became one of the biggest “What if” questions when it comes to WWE.
It’s true that had he joined in his peak, his chances of success would be much lesser. However, when you have someone so talented, how can you possibly deny them? He’s probably never going to be seen in a WWE ring, but if he were, these are his five best potential opponents.
Next Page: 5 dream opponents for Hiroshi Tanahashi in WWE
#5.) Shinsuke Nakamura
It would be an understatement to say that the two superstars are familiar with each other. They crossed paths many times in NJPW, even main eventing Wrestle Kingdom 8 together. Their best match till date remains the G1 Climax 25 finals, where Tanahashi overcame his rival to win.
There’s a lot more to their history than people realize. In 2003, Shinsuke Nakamura was pushed as the “Super rookie” and the next big thing, being the youngest superstar to ever win the IWGP Heavyweight title. However, he wasn’t ready for the position and the role was given to Tanahashi, who ended up taking the company out of the dark ages.
A feud in WWE would certainly be an exciting prospect.
Next Page: 5 dream opponents for Hiroshi Tanahashi in WWE
#4.) Seth Rollins
This is a matchup that would make wrestling fans reek with excitement. Both Rollins and Tanahashi can have a good match with practically anyone and with their fast-paced, high-flying styles, a match against each other would more than likely blow the roof off the building. It would be the type of match that wouldn’t even give fans a moment to breathe.
Can you imagine the sight of Tanahashi and Rollins hitting each other with stiff strikes? It’s the very definition of a dream match and a shame that we may never see it.
Next Page: 5 dream opponents for Hiroshi Tanahashi in WWE
#3.) AJ Styles
AJ Styles has millions of fans across the world, but there are few people who are bigger fans of him than Hiroshi Tanahashi. They’ve crossed paths before in NJPW, with Styles losing the IWGP Heavyweight title to him and also winning it back from him. In interviews, Tanahashi has legitimately gotten emotional when talking about just how good AJ Styles really is.
Styles, similar to Tanahashi, is a top 5 in the world-level performer and they could recreate the magic they produced in NJPW inside a WWE ring. Fans would be in for a big treat.
Next Page: 5 dream opponents for Hiroshi Tanahashi in WWE
#2.) Daniel Bryan
This is a match that both Bryan and Tanahashi likely want to have. It would have been possible had Bryan left WWE when his contract expired, but naturally, getting cleared to return to the ring made a big difference. Though they may not have crossed paths, one can only imagine the kind of match that Bryan and Tanahashi could have had.
Both are master in-ring technicians with an ability in the ring that very few in the world possess. Had Bryan gone to Japan, the only match of this caliber would have been with Kazuchika Okada. Either way, a match between Tanahashi and Bryan would have been an all-time classic, even before the bell would ring.
Next Page: 5 dream opponents for Hiroshi Tanahashi in WWE
#1.) John Cena
The former face of WWE vs the former Ace of New Japan Pro Wrestling. The parallels between Cena and Tanahashi has seen fans often label the latter as “Cenahashi”. Both superstars carried their respective companies for the years and only truly got the praise they deserved at a later stage in their careers.
Cena, too, has long overcome the criticism of being a limited wrestler. We’ve seen the magic that he’s produced in the ring with AJ Styles and there’s a high chance that he could top that with Tanahashi. When talking about a “big fight feel”, it really doesn’t get much bigger than Cena vs Tanahashi. It could sell out any arena anywhere at any given time.
