10 Japanese Wrestlers You Must See Before You Die

By Alexander Podgorski /

2. Hiroshi Tanahashi

Why you must watch him: He€™s the Japanese version of John Cena What do you get when you take John Cena, turn him into a Japanese man, and combine his popularity and physique with the technical grace of Eddie Guerrero? You get Hiroshi Tanahashi, a wrestler so outstanding that he been labelled €˜the one-in-a-century talent€™ by the Japanese press. In every respect, Tanahashi is to NJPW what John Cena is to WWE. He€™s an enormous draw, is wildly popular with multiple demographics, and does wonders to promote the company whenever possible. Ever since he became the ace of NJPW in 2009, he has been arguably the best technical wrestler on the entire planet. Like Cena, Tanahashi has been placed in marquis matches for years now, headlining countless PPVs and major shows. And like Cena, Tanahashi€™s matches have, more often than not, garnered huge reactions from fans, critical observers and other wrestlers alike. To this day, many people consider Tanahashi to be the best wrestler alive. He has put on many classic matches over the last six years in particular, so you€™ll have plenty of options to choose from when you go see why Tanahashi€™s so beloved by his fans.