10 Best Wrestlers Of 2019
6. Hiroshi Tanahashi
Hiroshi Tanahashi has effectively one bicep now, but because he is such a master of psychology, he has made a feature of a bug; he uses it to further his latter-day role as a weakened lion who lacks the physical prowess of the subsequent generation, but can still beat them on his best day. In short, Tanahashi can lose, and lose, and still elevate. A legitimate contender for the greatest pro wrestler of all time, he has modified his act to usher in his successor.
His classic, all-timer opposite Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom was on a level of depth and psychology those successors haven't yet reached: a spellbinding clash of philosophies, he unleashed a poison 'rana and crashed himself through a table to put Omega's over where his mentality won out. His work with Jay White, beautiful and gripping atonement for last year's misfire, put White over as a genuinely loathed, fiercely intelligent heel. Along similar lines, he sacrificed that bicep to the technical savagery of Zack Sabre, Jr. to further reinforce the Brit as an established upper card presence and threat to the IWGP Heavyweight Title picture.
His G1 wasn't his best, and yet he still managed to put KENTA over as a lethal and more detestable disciple of Katsuyori Shibata in a grand hero versus villain battle.
He is a true Ace, years after losing that status.