John Cena, Kazuchika Okada, others comment on Hiroshi Tanahashi’s retirement
The wrestling world has been paying tribute to Hiroshi Tanahashi in the wake of his retirement.
Tanahashi’s final match headlined Sunday’s Wrestle Kingdom 20 at the Tokyo Dome, where he was defeated by Kazuchika Okada. Following the match, several of Tanahashi’s former rivals and allies came to the ring to honor him. The tributes have continued on social media, with Okada, John Cena, and others sharing comments about Tanahashi.
Cena posted an image of Tanahashi to his Instagram page on Sunday. As is typical with Cena’s posts, he did not include a caption.
Okada wrote (translated): “Tanahashi-san, thank you for your hard work. Let’s meet again, everyone in Japan.”
CMLL’s Atlantis wrote (translated): “Respect and admiration for Hiroshi Tanahashi in his retirement match. His influence marked generations and elevated Japanese professional wrestling to the world. Legends don’t retire, they transcend.”
CMLL wrote (translated), “Today we bid farewell to a legend of the ring. Hiroshi Tanahashi leaves an indelible mark on the history of Lucha Libre and on that of CMLL, where in 2013 he was crowned Universal Champion, demonstrating his greatness, respect, and love for this sport.”
TNA World Champion Frankie Kazarian wrote, “I raise a glass to @tanahashi1_100 One of the very best. What an incredible career. It was an honor to share the ring with such a talented and well rounded ambassador to our industry. NJPW is in great hands.”
MJF wrote, “Solid career kid, you’re welcome for the rub 😉”
Ricochet wrote, “You did great things, Ace. I got it from here. 👑”
Rush wrote, “GRACIAS AMIGO. Respect and admiration !!”
Christopher Daniels wrote, “Congratulations to @tanahashi1_100 on his incredible career & amazing retirement! Thank you Ace! And may your presidency bring @njpw1972 unrivaled success in Japan in the coming years! 💐 💐 💐“
Tanahashi wrote following the show, “I’m home. Tokyo Dome event. Super packed. Lots of cheering! Thank you so much. I’m tired~”
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has been featured in NOW Magazine, The Huffington Post, and more. A lifelong wrestling aficionado born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he has covered the industry for a decade and a half. He joined the f4wonline.com team in 2019.