The Complete A-Z Of Wrestling In 2018

19. H - Hiroshi Tanahashi

Asuka Zack Sabre Jr
NJPW1972.com

"The Ace Is Back" was a catchphrase for a t-shirt long before Hiroshi Tanahashi's incredible G1 Climax made it so much more, but as Kazuchika Okada skidded off the rails following his loss to Kenny Omega, the original saviour kept NJPW on track ahead of his enormous showdown with 'The Best Bout Machine' at the Tokyo Dome.

Incandescent in the bruising tournament, Tanahashi bravely defended his briefcase in the aftermath and even aligned with 'The Rainmaker' to stave off threats from a reimagined Bullet Club. Few saw 2018 being his year - even less can now bet against him returning to the summit as 2019 begins.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett