Bálor has his eyes on a final meeting with New Japan’s Ace.
Hiroshi Tanahashi will wrestle his final match at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 20 on January 4, 2026. While his opponent has yet to be announced, WWE’s Finn Bálor has now signalled interest in taking the spot.
Speaking to Tokyo Sports ahead of WWE’s return to Japan in October, Bálor stated that he wants to face Tanahashi before he retires. The former Prince Devitt also expressed gratitude to the NJPW President and a host of other names that made him feel welcome in Japan.
“I respect him outside the ring too. When I was a Young Lion and rode the New Japan bus for the first time, he was sitting across from me. I was nervous. I thought it was a dream that my favorite wrestler would become my colleague. I want to fight him one more time before he retires. [Being Tanahashi’s final opponent] would be great, but I’m not that lucky. But I want to take this opportunity to say a few words to Tanahashi. You’ve had an incredible career. Thank you for being so kind to the foreign wrestlers in New Japan. Mr. Iizuka, Mr. Liger, Mr. Nagata—everyone was so kind. Having teammates like family supporting me helped me adapt quickly to the ring’s harshness. It’s scary to live in a faraway country where you don’t even speak the language, but New Japan welcomed me so warmly. I’m forever grateful.”
-Finn Bálor
Tanahashi and Bálor crossed paths several times during the latter’s stint in NJPW, with their final encounter taking place on March 3, 2014, when Tanahashi teamed with Great Bash Heel’s Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma, along with Ryusuke Taguchi, to defeat the Bullet Club lineup of Prince Devitt, Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, and Tama Tonga.
Bálor currently finds himself part of The Judgement Day alongside Dominik Mysterio, JD McDonagh, Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, and Roxanne Perez.
Elsewhere during Wrestle Kingdom 20, former Olympic gold medalist judoka Aaron Wolf will make his professional wrestling debut, with his opponent also yet to be revealed.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on Hiroshi Tanahashi’s retirement tour as soon as we hear more.
H/T to Fightful for the translation.
