Hiroshi Tanahashi made a shock appearance on AEW Collision this week.
The NJPW President got a huge pop on Saturday. He was revealed as the surprise partner of Claudio Castagnoli and Daniel Garcia on Collision. He teamed with the pair to take on Lance Archer and The Righteous.
The Japanese legend picked up the win for his team, pinning Vincent with the High Fly Flow. The NJPW President presented Tony Khan with a jacket after the match, which the AEW President Tweeted about.
“Thank you Mr President @tanahashi1_100 for this amazing @Liger_NJPW jacket + thank you for flying to Vegas #AEWDoN weekend on behalf of @njpw1972 to stand up for @AEW vs the hired guns of The Elite on Saturday #AEWCollision on TBS TONIGHT!,”
It was Tanahashi’s first match in AEW since last year’s Forbidden Door event. He took on MJF in a huge match on the show, battling for the AEW Championship. MJF picked up the win in that match, and in the time since, The Ace was made the President of NJPW.
Tanahashi also appeared at AEW Double or Nothing 2024. He was ever-present at the post-show media scrum, appearing alongside Tony Khan to the press. This was in preparation of the upcoming Forbidden Door 2024 event, which features AEW and NJPW talent.
Hiroshi Tanahashi: Good-Looking Wrestlers Will Increase Pro Wrestling’s Popularity
Hiroshi Tanahashi has some interesting theories about how to grow NJPW’s popularity.
The Ace of New Japan recently spoke with Toyokeizai Online recently. He revealed that he thinks bringing in attractive wrestlers will help increase the company’s popularity. Tanahashi thinks it could bring a new boom period in the company – citing himself as an example.
“If a really good-looking wrestler comes in, someone who is super athletic, smart, and seems to be good at attracting girls, then the industry’s popularity might rise to another level,” Hiroshi Tanahashi said. “New Japan also followed this trend and became popular due to its image of having a large number of female fans.”
“Even with that in mind, I would like to continue to take various measures such as strengthening the visual aspect, creating apparel goods with cool designs and easy-to-wear color schemes, and creating an environment where New Japan can produce superstars at any time. If a second or third Hiroshi Tanahashi emerges, this industry will continue to boom!” [H/T: meraWRESTLING for the English translation]
