Hiroshi Tanahashi wants to wrestle for as long as possible, no matter how much damage doing do does to his body.
Tanahashi is widely considered one of the best wrestlers still active today. He has been wrestling more or less nonstop since 1999 and spent over a decade main-eventing New Japan’s biggest shows.
One of the reasons Hiroshi Tanahashi is so admired and respected by wrestling fans and by his peers is his tenacity. He has wrestled at a top level and in an extremely conditioning-heavy style for over two decades. And even as injuries slow him down, it doesn’t appear that they’re stopping him anytime soon.
In fact, the 46-year old “Ace” made a joke about when he would be retiring. And yet, given Hiroshi Tanahashi’s dedication and perseverance, this might not be a joke in the first place.
Ahead of his mentor Keiji Muto’s retirement match on February 21st, Tanahashi was asked by Tokyo Sports about his own retirement and what that would entail. To which Tanahashi replied,
“If Muto-san is retiring at 60, I will wrestle until I am 61.”
If Hiroshi Tanahashi wishes to accomplish this goal, then he would have to keep wrestling for another fifteen years. However, he faces a major challenge two days from now when he challenges Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at NJPW Battle in the Valley.
h/t WrestlingInc for the transcription
