Hiroshi Tanahashi Announces Retirement Plans, Final Match
Hiroshi Tanahashi has announced that his legendary career in the ring will come to an end in January 2026, with his final match coming at that month’s Wrestle Kingdom 20 pay-per-view. At New Japan Pro Wrestling’s King Of Pro Wrestling event, Tanahashi teamed with Shota Umino and El Phantasmo to defeat House of Torture’s Yujiro Takahashi, EVIL and Dick Togo. After the match, the 47-year-old shared the news that he will have his final match on January 4, 2026. While Tanahashi did not confirm the show he will retire on, New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom event takes place each year on January 4.
Tanahashi joined New Japan Pro Wrestling in 1999 and has been one of the promotion’s very top stars for several years. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, it was the efforts of Tanahashi that helped revive the company’s brand which had taken a hit in the mid-2000s.
The Ace’s legendary career includes eight IWGP Heavyweight Champion reigns, two Intercontinental Title reigns, three G1 Climax victories, and three reigns as IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion. In recent years, Tanahashi has taken on an executive role, and was made New Japan President last year.
With such a legendary career both in and out of the ring, Hiroshi Tanahashi has certainly earned a fond farewell from the ring. After the NJPW exit of Kazuchika Okada in February 2024, it remains to be seen how the company will fare as another one of its top stars prepares to leave the ring, this time for good.
