Chris Jericho To Face Hiroshi Tanahashi At Wrestle Kingdom 14?

Ahead of AEW Dynamite premiering on TNT tonight, AEW World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho is being lined up to face Hiroshi Tanahashi at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 14.

Via Sports Illustrated, Jericho will go one-on-one with New Japan’s Ace at the January 4th, 2020 show in the iconic Tokyo Dome.

Despite AEW and New Japan not having any official working agreement, Jericho – like Jon Moxley – is said to have an AEW contract that allows some flexibility to still work certain NJPW dates. In Jericho’s case, one such date is that dream match against Tanahashi.

At this June’s NJPW Dominion PPV, Jericho lost to IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada. It was Jericho’s post-match antics that really caught the eye, though, for his beatdown of Okada was halted by none other than Hiroshi Tanahashi in a move that many saw as clearly teasing a Jericho vs. Tanahashi match at some point down the line.

SI reports that New Japan will be the ones to make the official announcement of Jericho vs. Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom 14, with that announcement to come at some point in the next few months. The bout will seemingly be a co-main event alongside Okada defending the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Kota Ibushi.

Jericho has been a huge difference maker during his appearances for New Japan over the past couple of years, with his name value and social media presence creating a major buzz amongst many fans who may not usually be too familiar with NJPW.

In addition to AEW’s Painmaker working Wrestle Kingdom 14, it’s also expected that Jon Moxley will be another AEW talent appearing at the event – likely going up against Juice Robinson for the IWGP United States Championship.