8 Ups & 6 Downs From NJPW King Of Pro-Wrestling 2019

Ups...

8. All Hail The Ace

Tomoaki Honma Hiroshi Tanahashi
NJPW

It was shocking to see Hiroshi Tanahashi placed this low on a New Japan card. Yes, him teaming with Tomoaki Honma to face Togi Makabe and Toru Yano wasn't exactly an anticipated match, but it's Hiroshi Tanahashi. He's the ace. The idea of him wrestling second from bottom is wild, but not necessarily a problem.

Tanahashi is currently celebrating his 20th year in the game. He debuted on 10 October 1999 and this match was something of a victory lap, with NJPW putting a neat, tidy exhibition-style clash together to pat Tana on the back, let the fans see him doing his thing, and send them into the rest of the show happy after a crowd-pleasing babyface victory. That's exactly what happened here.

Though there were strong house show vibes throughout, it's hard to begrudge this match's existence. NJPW are always going to look after Tanahashi. Much of the promotion's modern success was built on his back, so we can take matches like this (even though they're the lightest of Ups, really) all day long.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.