The Ace of New Japan has wrestled his last match. Hiroshi Tanahashi ended his 267-year career at Wrestle Kingdom 20 against his long-time rival Kazuchika Okada. Before lacing up his boots for the final time in the Tokyo Dome, Hiroshi Tanahashi has only won five of their 17 matches. Okada has won nine and three of their matches ended in ties but in their last Tokyo Dome match 10 years ago, The Ace come out on top.
This was The Ace’s 2,987th match. He has had 1,596 wins over the years. His match against Okada is his 655th singles match and he has won 392 of those. He has reigned as a champion 30 times and 101 G1 victories. He has been the IWGP World Champion, eight times.
Kazuchika Okada made his entrance first and Gedo followed closely behind him. For Tanahashi there was nothing extra special in his entrance. Just his music and his usual attire. Well, some fireworks did go off.
The crowd chanted: “Go! Ace!” as he made his way down the long Wrestle Kingdom entrance ramp. In the ring, Okada nodded his head in appreciation as well, smiling. As both men were introduced, Tanahashi made those pecs dance one final time.
As the bell rings, the crowd is deafening cheering for Tanahashi. The Ace got the advantage right away with a wrist lock on Okada.
On The Ace’s knee pad it says: “Thank you to everyone from Tanahashi.” Awww.
The Ace comes up on top as they mat wrestle for a bit. The Ace with an arm lock and a leg lock from Okada. Okada backs Tanahashi into the ropes. He doesn’t strike him. He pats him on the chest instead before kicking him in the gut. The crowd boos.
“Go! Ace!” chants Okada mocking the fans in attendance.
Okada shoulder tackles The Ace down. He stands over him inviting more boos. Okada elbows The Ace in the back of the neck before whipping him into the opposite corner. The Ace comes flying out with a body splash. A flying elbow smash and a senton gets The Ace a two count.
The Ace strums his guitar and throws it away. Fans cheer. Okada catches The Ace on the top rope. He drop kicks him off the buckle. The Ace falls to the floor. Okada whips The Ace into the barricade. His running boot sends him over the barricade. The crowd doesn’t appreciate that disrespect. Okada DDTs The Ace off the barricade. As the fans clap for The Ace to get back to his feet, Okada sarcastically joins in before slamming his back into the barricade.
Okada backs The Ace into a corner with elbow smashes and chops. The Ace slumps down. The Ace ends up in a handstand position after a DDT from Okada. The crowd cheers The Ace on to break Okada’s chinlock. The Ace stuns Okada with a running knife edge chop off the ropes to the throat. He slams Okada down climbing to the second rope. A senton gets The Ace a two count.
Okada whips The Ace into the ropes. The Ace “skins the cat” to get back inside. As Okada tries to kick him, The Ace catches his leg with a Dragon Screw Leg Whip. He hits another minutes later. The Ace wants to lock in the clover leaf but Okada rakes his eyes. That pisses off the fans. A drop kick to the knee has Okada bailing to the floor. The Ace wows the crowd with an Aces High from the top rope to Okada on the floor.
As Okada attempts to get back into the ring, The Ace Dragon Screw Leg Whips him again. Okada goes down grimacing. The Ace bounces off the ropes but Okada flap jacks him to the mat. A neckbreaker opens up The Ace for a slam and a flying elbow smash.
Instead of giving the sign for The Rainmaker Clothesline, Okada flips off everyone. What a jerk.
The Ace counters Okada’s Rainmaker with a series of Twist and Shouts. Okada catches The Ace off the ropes with a Tombstone Piledriver. A shotgun drop kick sends The Ace to the floor. Okada leads The Ace up the rampway for a Tombstone Piledriver. Okada walks over The Ace’s body and rolls back into the ring. The crowd cheers for Tanahashi to get up…somehow. The Ace crawls and slides down the ramp. He makes it back in at the count of 20. Okada walks over to The Ace smiling driving him down with another Tombstone Piledriver.
Instead of pinning him Okada lifts him back up. A spinning clothesline has Okada covering The Ace for another count. Okada pulls The Ace up again. The Ace prevents another clothesline with a series of punches. Okada clotheslines him again. The Ace counters a Rainmaker Clothesline with a clothesline of his own. Tanahashi drops to his knees in the ropes. The Ace kicks out of The Rainmaker Clothesline. Okada just shrugs putting The Ace in a Boston Crab. After minutes and minutes of being in the hold, Tanahashi reaches the ropes. As The Ace tries to get back to his feet Okada kicks him in the back of the head repeatedly. Okada whips Tanahashi into the ropes drop kicking him.
The Ace ducks a Rainmaker countering with a Slingblade. The Ace makes Shinsuke Nakamura’s taunt in the corner before hitting a Bomaye and a High Fly Flow. Okada kicks out. Another Slingblade and a German suplex for a two count. The Ace lands a High Fly Flow to Okada’s back. He flips him over for another but Okada puts his knees up blocking it.
Both men throw hands on their knees then battle over a Tombstone Piledriver once again. Okada sinks The Ace with a Destino of sorts, another slam and a Rainmaker. The Ace barely raises his shoulder in response. Okada stands over The Ace waiting for him to get back to his feet. A slam, flying elbow smash and another Rainmaker pins The Ace.
Standing over The Ace, Okada said: “Tanahashi, you must be tired. Let me just say one thing: Thank you.”
Okada then left the ring to his music.
The Ace got to his feet to a rousing ovation. He received his flowers from NJPW officials and cried.
All of a sudden, Jay White’s music hits! He too had flowers for Tanahashi. White bowed to Tanahashi.
Will Ospreay was next to do so and then it was Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi’s turn. Tanahashi tried to hold back his tears. Katsuyori Shibata was next to pay his respects to The Ace’s career. The two locked up, exchanged chops and then embraced.
Legends themselves, The Great Muta and Tatsumi Fujinami thanked The Ace before taking pictures but they weren’t the last.
Out came Tetsuya Naito and Bushi! Naito praised The Ace as an inspiration and influence on his career. He thanked The Ace for letting him walk down the Tokyo Dome ramp one more time last year.
“Thank you for coming here tonight. I have finally been able to see from a New Japan ring what a sold-out Tokyo Dome is like. I retired here today but the wrestlers in New Japan will fight with all of their hearts and I want you to keep on supporting them,” said Tanahashi.
Before he left the ring, the Young Lions found his air guitar under the ring and threw it to him.
The Ace gave them one more guitar solo. The Ace asked for a wave from the crowd and the crowd gave him his final wish. There was a final 10 bell salute with the crowd cheering his name. The Ace then signed autographs, greeted some fans and then climbed aboard a platform that was wheeled around the arena.
“I am so happy I fell in love with professional wrestling! 26 years is because of every single fan and their support that has brought me this incredible life in professional wrestling! I have done everything. I have given it my all!” said The Ace before walking through those curtains one last time.
Wrestle Kingdom 20 Results
Shoma Kato and Tatsuya Matsumoto versus Matsatora Yasuda and Katsuya Murashima
In a Young Lion spotlight match, Murashima makes Matsumoto submit to a Boston Crab.
Winners: Matsatora Yasuda and Katsuya Murashima
El Phantasmo (c) versus Chris Brookes – NJPW World Television Championship Match
ELP is wearing black, pink and white trunks in homage to the ‘Hitman’ Bret Hart. ELP doubles back into a corner to regroup after almost being pinned rather quickly by Brookes. ELP and Brookes match move for move both kipping up at the same time. ELP goes to shake Brookes’ hand. Brookes kicks him in the stomach. ELP takes Brookes down. Brookes slides to the floor. Brookes attacks Gedo on the floor with a kick to the face. Brookes’ DDT entourage shields Brookes before he drop kicks ELP. Brookes gives ELP a spinning neckbreaker off the apron. Brookes holds an elastic band in front of ELP’s eyes while one of his entourage runs up the rampway with the rest of it. He lets go and it snaps ELP in the face. ELP kicks out after taking a senton on his back.
ELP splashes Brookes off the ropes. Brookes kicks out at two. After hitting a flying elbow drop off the second rope, ELP plays air guitar in honour of Tanahashi. One of the entourage leaps onto the apron to interfere. ELP Sudden Death kicks him. Gedo takes care of the rest on the floor. Brookes avoids Sudden Death wrapping ELP in a Tarantula Submission but ELP turns that into a fireman’s carry and a neckbreaker for two. Brookes throws ELP halfway across the ring with an underhook suplex from the top rope. ELP battles back with a hurricanrana off the top rope and launches a Thunder Kiss. Brookes puts his knees up to block it. ELP kicks out of Brookes’ roll-up. ELP kicks out of Brookes’ Praying Mantis Bomb. Brookes is stunned and so is the crowd. Brookes lifts ELP for another…but ELP just collapses to the mat. ELP escapes another attempt at the Praying Mantis Bomb by rolling up Brookes for two. ELP bridges out of an attempted pin delivering the CR2. Brookes barely kicks out. ELP pins him to retain the title with a Thunder Kiss off the ropes.
Brookes and ELP shake hands after the match.
Winner: …and still NJPW World Television Champion, ELP.
Rating: 7 / 10
Toru Yano, YOH & Master Wato vs Kaisei Takechi, Yuya Uemura & Shota Umino vs Boltin Oleg, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto vs TMDK (Hartley Jackson, Zack Sabre Jr. & Ryohei Oiwa) vs Ryusuke Taguchi, Tiger Mask & Togi Makabe vs War Dogs (Clark Connors, OSKAR & Yuto-Ice) vs Team 150 (Satoshi Kojima, Taichi & Tomohiro Ishii) vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (Yoshinobu Kanemaru, SANADA & Ren Narita) – NEVER Openweight 6 Man Championship Tornado Ranbo
In this Ranbo, an entire team can be eliminated if ONE member is pinned, submitted or thrown over the top rope and their feet touch the floor. It is a tornado tag match.
Yuya Uemura, Shota Umino and Kaisei Takechi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, SANADA & Ren Narita are the first teams to enter the Ranbo. The rest will enter the ring at one minute intervals. Sanada comes out in a LED suit that looks like part Demolition, part android of some sort. On the LED screen it says: “Sanada has arrived.”
“That outfit probably costs more than your house,” Chris Charlton tells Walker Stewart.
War Dogs (Clark Connors, OSKAR & Yuto-Ice) are the next to enter. AEW’s Thelka accompanies Connors to the ring. While Thelka distracts Kanemaru, Narita and Sanada, Connors retrieves his tire and hits them with it from behind.
TMDK (Hartley Jackson, Zack Sabre Jr. & Ryohei Oiwa) is out next. Nobody has been eliminated yet.
Next are Ryusuke Taguchi, Tiger Mask & Togi Makabe. This is also Tiger Mask’s final Tokyo Dome appearance.
Oiwa knocks Oskar over the top rope and out of the ring. War Dogs (Clark Connors, OSKAR & Yuto-Ice) are out of the match.
Boltin Oleg, YOSHI-HASHI & Hirooki Goto are next to enter the match. Team 150 (Satoshi Kojima, Taichi & Tomohiro Ishii) follow them. Only the War Dogs have been eliminated.
Oleg pins Tiger Mask with a Kamikaze so Ryusuke Taguchi, Tiger Mask & Togi Makabe are gone.
Ishii manages to get Oleg up for a suplex in a great feat of strength.
The champions are out last: Toru Yano, YOH & Master Wato. YOH comes to the ring dressed up as “hardcore” Yano with blonde hair, his robe. He even mimmicks Yano’s wrestling style.
Uemura takes Taichi over the top rope and they both fall to the floor so their teams are out.
Narita and Kanemaru spit whiskey into Yoh’s eyes. Sanada kicks Yoh off the apron. Wato and Yano catch him and roll him back into the ring. Yoh attempts to knock Sanada off the apron. Sanada pulls the rope down on him. Narita and Kanemaru pull Yoh off the apron as Yano does the same to Sanada. The champions and House of Torture have been eliminated.
It is TMDK versus Boltin Oleg, YOSHI-HASHI and Hirooki Goto for the titles as they are the survivors. ZSJ is dropped with Shoto but Jackson saves him from being pinned. ZSJ outwrestles Oleg pinning him with a fancy roll-up.
Winners: …and new NEVER Openweight 6 Man Champions, TMDK (Hartley Jackson, Zack Sabre Jr. & Ryohei Oiwa).
Rating: 7 / 10
Syuri vs Saya Kamitani – IWGP Women’s & NJPW STRONG Women’s Double Title Match
Amazing to see two of the greatest in the world on the Wrestle Kingdom card. Kamitani’s 2025 has been historic and unprecedented as she made history as the first female as the Tokyo Sports MVP of the year. Kamitani dodges Matrix-style Syuri’s variety of kicks at the start. Syuri turns a suplex into an arm lock. Kamitani escapes to the ropes. Syuri hits Kamitami with two stiff kicks to the back and a running knee strike to the face for a two. Kamitani turns things in her favour by pulling the official between her and Syuri. The other H.A.T.E. members trip up Syuri. Kamitani drop kicks her out of the ring. Kamitani springboard off the top rope onto Syuri on the floor. Kamitani wins a forearm battle in the middle of the ring but a running knee strike by Syuri knocks Kamitani to the mat stunned. Kamitani sends Syuri crashing to the mat with a hurricanrana from the top rope.
Syuri grabs Kamitani in an arm lock on the top rope flinging her to the mat. Syuri viciously cranks down on the arm. After minutes and minutes of agony she finally reaches the ropes. Syuri DDTs Kamitami off the ropes for a two count. Syuri amazingly kicks out of the Star Crusher. Syuri switches another Star Crusher into an arm bar submission. Another running knee strike scores Syuri another two count. Syuri finally pins Kamitani with her Syu-sekai (Syuri World), electric chair into a sitout side powerslam.
Winner: …and IWGP Women’s & NJPW STRONG Women’s Champion…Syuri.
Rating: 8 / 10
The War Dogs (David Finlay, Gabe Kidd and Drilla Moloney) and The Unaffiliated (Shingo Takagi and Hiromu Takahashi) vs United Empire (Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan, HENARE, Andrade El Idolo & X)
Henare is finally back. He hasn’t been in NJPW for approximately a year. Andrade El Idolo is once again described as the money bags, the investor for United Empire. The final member of the United Empire team is…Jake Lee who has jumped from the War Dogs, Bullet Club to The United Empire. In the ring, Finlay is furious.
Before the bell can ring the two teams begin brawling. Idolo and Kidd square off in the middle of the ring as everyone throws hands on the outside. Idolo demands Kidd give him his best shot over and over again. Kidd whips Idolo into the ropes. Idolo strikes a pose in them smiling at Kidd.
“F–k you!” yells Kidd charging at Idolo. Idolo dodges and Kidd flies out to the floor. Idolo leaps off the top rope with a spinning splash on Kidd. Kidd returns the favour minutes later with a dive on Idolo on the floor. The others have stopped fighting looking on as Kidd and Idolo go back and forth. Finally, they tag out to Henare and Takagi. Khan attacks Takagi from behind and he is booed heavily by the crowd for doing so. Takagi takes a PK and running knee to the face, gets up and clotheslines Henare.
Hiromu suplexes Finlay off the top rope to everyone on the floor below but the celebration doesn’t last long. Jake Lee kicks him in the chops, rolls him into the ring pinning him after his running kick in a corner. It seems as if NJPW is preparing for The United Empire to be a top faction if the War Dogs (Connors, Drilla and Finlay) leave the company when their contracts run out.
After the match is over, a stranger in a hoodie, mask and crown enters the ring. He kicks Hiromu as he tries to stand up. It is Francesco Akira. He has returned.
Winners: United Empire (Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan, HENARE, Andrade El Idolo & X)
Rating: 7 / 10
SHO vs El Desperado vs Taiji Ishimori vs Kosei Fujita – IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Number One Contender’s Four Way Match
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Douki comes out first to address the crowd. Fans boo him relentlessly as he claims to be the star of the show. Narita and Kanemaru come down to the ring with Sho. Ishimori decides to leap on them from the top rope. Everyone teams up on Sho bouncing him around with a rubber ball hitting him with their best shots. They actually begin to fight over the right to beat the snot out of Sho. Sho attempts to crawl away as they argue. Desperado kicks him in the ribs stopping him. Sho finally distracts them sliding out to the floor letting those three fight. Desperado and Ishimori clap on the floor as Fujita puts Sho into a submission bow and arrow move. They rush into the ring both putting their hands over Sho’s mouth. An upset Douki gets to his feet.
Ishimori spikes Desperado with Bloody Cross. Sho slams Fujita on the official as they make the count. That brings in Douki and Kanemaru into the ring to attack the others. They hold Ishimori as Douki hits him with his pipe. Robbie Eagles and Robbie X enter the fray! X stuns both Douki and Kanemaru. Kukai joins the fight. Eagles leaps onto Douki and Kanemaru on the floor as does Kukai and Robbie X. Fujita climbs to the top rope. Sho smashes him in the head with black mirror. He hits Eagles too. Sho retrieves the official. Sho attempts to pin Fujita with a Shock Arrow. Desperado dives into the ring haymakering Sho. Desperado pins Sho with a Tiger Driver and Pinche Loco.
Winner: El Desperado
Rating: 7.5 / 10
Aaron Wolf vs EVIL (c) – NEVER Openweight Championship Match
Olympian Aaron Wolf has a big entrance and everything but he is dressed as a Young Lion in black trunks and boots.
Wolf is a thick guy. I mean, he is really big proportionally. They trade forearm smashes. Evil rakes Wolf’s eyes. The crowd boos. They collide in the middle of the ring. Nobody goes down the first couple of times then Wolf bowls Evil over. Wolf sticks to the basics, a clothesline in a corner, a suplex and a flying elbow smash for a two count. Evil has to roll out of the ring to halt Wolf’s momentum. Wolf chases Evil to the floor. Evil knocks him off the apron. The House of Torture swarm Wolf on the floor. Evil gives him a solo Conchairto on the entrance way. The crowd boos Evil even more.
“Aaron Wolf is having a rude awakening when it comes to professional wrestling tonight,” said Charlton.
As the official begins the count on Wolf, Evil runs around the ring laughing. The crowd cheers when Wolf makes the count.
Evil whips Wolf over and over into an exposed turnbuckle. Evil goes for the pin repeatedly. Wolf kicks out every time though
Wolf gives Evil a big judo throw. He brings Dick Togo into the ring. The official gets busy warning Togo. Wolf throws Yujiro Takahashi, Narita and Sanada one after another…until Evil throws powder in his eyes. Evil suplexes Wolf and then slaps the Darkest Scorpion on him. Wolf makes it to the rope. Evil refuses to let go at first. Evil hits Wolf with two clotheslines. Wolf no-sells them. Combination punch and clothesline sends Wolf down. Wolf powerslams Evil off the ropes for a two count. He gets another two count with an Olympic Slam. Wolf splashes Evil off the top rope. The official begins their count but is pulled out of the ring.
As boos rain down, Togo garottes Wolf choking him out. Yoh and Wato rush into the ring super kicking Narita but the numbers game catches up with them especially when Fale joins in. Fale hits Wolf with a table. Fale splashes Wolf through a table from the top rope. Evil clobbers Wolf with a lariat. He still kicks out.
Wolf judo throws his way out of Everything is Evil. Wolf puts Evil in a triangle submission and Evil fades away.
Winner: …and new NEVER Openweight Champion, Aaron Wolf.
Rating: 7 / 10
Yota Tsuji (c) vs Konosuke Takeshita (c) – IWGP Global and IWGP World Heavyweight Double Title Match
These two will be a big part of the future of professional wrestling. They haven’t even reached the peak of their talent yet. Things begin with each man feeling the others out with headlocks and arm bars. As Takeshita backs Tsuji into the ropes Tsuji dares him to chop him. Tsuji backs Takeshita into the ropes. He slaps him in the face. A hurricanrana sends Takeshita to the floor. Tsuji makes a move to leap on Takeshita. Takeshita just walks away. Tsuji hits the brakes. Takeshita picks up some speed. He drops Tsuji with a flying clothesline. Takeshita’s chops send Tsuji crashing down to the mat. Tsjui shoulder tackles Takeshita and splashes him. A standing suplex has Tsuji holding his neck and backing off to a corner to suss out the damage.
The official forces Takeshita away as Tsuji rolls to the floor. Tsuji tries to work some feeling into his arms and hands. Takeshita attacks DDTing Tsuji on the apron. The crowd voices their disapproval. Takeshita whips Tsuji into the ringside barricade following up with a running kick that sends Tsuji over that barricade. Takeshita relaxes in the ring as the official begins their count.
When Tsuji slides back into the ring Takeshita just snaps his neck. Takeshita works over Tsuji’s neck with submissions of one kind or another. Takeshita misses a running knee smash, hits the turnbuckle and goes flying over the top rope. Tsuji crushes Takeshita with a Fosbury Flop on the floor.
Tsuji misses his double stomp from the top rope. Takeshita and Tsuji clothesline each other over and over. Neither falls. Both men battle to gain control over a Tombstone Piledriver. Tsuji slams Takeshita down. Takeshita no-sells it though spearing Tsuji.
The match breaks down into a slugfest. Tsuji hesitates though because of the pain in his neck. He does manage to spike Takeshita with a Destroyer though. Takeshita dodges a speat by Tsuji sending him across the ring with a German Suplex. When he turns around, Tsuji spear him into a corner.
Takeshita counters another spear attempt with a running knee, a Blue Thunder Bomb and Raging Fire. Tsuji avoids the pin by placing his leg over the ropes.
Tsuji powerbombs Takeshita and then slams him the opposite way. Tsuji nails a Guerrero Special off the top rope for a two count. Takeshita avoids a Gene Blaster with a Poisonrana. Tsuji kicks out of a beautiful Blue Thunder Bomb off the top rope. A Power Drive knee smash doesn’t put away Tsuji either.
Takeshita goes for another Power Dive. Tsuji spears him though with the Gene Blaster. Takeshita taps out to Tsuji’s Boston Crab.
As Tsuji is celebrating and addressing the crowd Jake Lee blindsides him. He puts his lights out with his big boot to the face. Lee picks up the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship draping it over Tsuji.
Winner: …and IWGP Global and IWGP World Heavyweight Champion…Yota Tsuji.
Rating: 10 / 10
Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi – Tanahashi’s Retirement Match
Winner: Kazuchika Okada
Rating: 10 / 10
Event Rating: 8.5 / 10
