Hiroshi Tanahashi

Hiroshi Tanahashi (November 13, 1976) is a Japanese professional wrestler who works primarily for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), as well as appearing with Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) in Mexico, where he was one half of the CMLL World Tag Team Champions with Jushin Liger. He has also previously appeared with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).
== Career ==
Before entering the world of wrestling, Hiroshi Tanahashi was a baseball player in high school. He started wrestling while attending [itsumeikan University in Kyoto and was fairly successful. During this time he was noticed by New Japan Pro Wrestling talent scouts and was invited to try out for the New Japan Dojo. His try out was successful and he was accepted as a trainee.
After graduating from the New Japan Dojo, Tanahashi made his debut in October, 1999 in a match against Shinya Makabe. He became viewed as a big prospect and was given big wins over lucha libre legend Negro Casas in July, 2000 and American Scott Hall in September, 2001. His star continued to rise and in the 2002 G-1 Climax (one of New Japan Pro Wrestling's most important annual tournaments) Tanahashi pinned Kensuke Sasaki in under two minutes.
After this Tanahashi was paired with Kenzo Suzuki in a tag team named the Kings of the Hills. This pairing was popular but came to an end after a real-life incident. In November, 2002 Tanahashi was stabbed in the back by Hitomi Hara (a TV Asahi news reporter he had dated for a brief amount of time). Tanahashi was hospitalized, but would recover.
Ironically this incident may have been the best thing to happen to his career. The stabbing was widely reported across Japan and a strong interest to see Tanahashi return was created. On February 16, 2003 Tanahashi returned as a singles wrestler to a sold-out crowd in Tokyo in a match against Manabu Nakanishi.
His career began to rapidly climb from this point. In the later half of 2003 Tanahashi captured the U-30 Openweight Championship, in August, 2004 he made it to the finals of the G1 Climax and in January, 2005 he headlined a show at the Tokyo Dome in a match against Shinsuke Nakamura.
In 2005, Tanahashi also made an appearance in the 15th SASUKE competition on July 20. He was eliminated in the first round.
Tanahashi made his North American debut in September 2005 when he and Nakamura went to Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre in Mexico. There, they feuded with Los Guerreros del Infierno and successfully defended their tag team championship against Rey Bucanero and Olímpico. He debuted in the United States on January 15, 2006. He faced AJ Styles in a match that was broadcast on the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling pay per view Final Resolution. He was also featured in a match against Roderick Strong that was taped for TNA Xplosion a few days later.
He would go on to defeat Masahiro Chono with a Sling Blade in the first round of the New Japan Cup (determining a No. 1 contender against IWGP Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar) on April 16, 2006 in Korakuen Hall, and Hiroyoshi Tenzan with a Dragon Suplex Hold in the second round on April 25 in Omuta Citizen Gymnasium, before falling to Yuji Nagata's wrist-clutch Exploder in the semifinal on April 29 in the Tottori Industrial Gymnasium.
Tanahashi also defeated Tiger Mask IV on May 13, 2006 in the first ever main event of the new WRESTLE LAND brand (a promotional experiment by New Japan with "sports entertainment"), debuting a modified side buster finish.
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Brock Lesnar for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship had been announced for New Japan's 7/17 Sapporo, Tsukisamu Green Dome event. Following this announcement Tanahashi vacated the IWGP U-30 Championship
On June 28, 2006, Tanahashi was announced as a participant in the 2006 G-1 Climax, his fifth appearance in the tournament.
On July 17, 2006, Tanahashi won his first IWGP Heavyweight Championship when he defeated Giant Bernard in the finals of the tournament for the vacant belt. He showed the belt on his second appearance on SASUKE, during the 17th competition, where he was again eliminated in the first round.
After holding the belt for almost 9 months (270 days), and defending the title against the likes of Taiyo Kea, Shinsuke Nakamura and others, Tanahashi lost the title to Yuji Nagata, who had won the 2007 New Japan Cup and become the #1 contender. Tanahashi managed to come back from this by winning the 2007 G1, where he defeated Nagata in the finals, and successfully challenged his rival to a rematch on October 8, 2007 where he pinned Nagata to regain the title. On January 4, 2008 Tanahashi was defeated at New Japan's annual Tokyo Dome show by Shinsuke Nakamura for the IWGP Heavyweight title in the night's main event.
In February's New Japan ISM Tour, Tanahashi successfully defeated AJ Styles in a highly anticipated rematch. Following this, Hiroshi Tanahashi was entered into the coveted New Japan Cup tournament in which the winner would face off against the then-IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Shinsuke Nakamura, as the number one contender.
==In wrestling==
*Finishing moves
**High Fly Flow (diving arching body press), sometimes done to a standing opponent
**Texas Cloverleaf hold
**Bridging Dragon Suplex - Main finisher from 2002-2004; used as a signature move from 2005-2018; occasional finisher from 2019–present
* Signature moves
**Dragon Sleeper
**Sling Blade - Innovated
**Various suplexes
***Kinka-zan German Suplex (high angle bridging German suplex)
***Daruma-shiki German Suplex (straight-jacket bridging German suplex, done as a counter to opponents escaping from a Dragon Suplex)
**Dragon Screw leg whip, sometimes done to a grounded opponent - Adopted from Tatsumi Fujinami
**Twist and Shout (Screw neckbreaker drop)
**Half Hatch Suplex Hold - Main finisher from 2000-2001.
**Dragon Swing (swinging Dragon sleeper into mat slam)
**Various pinning cradles
***Denkou Sekka (running inside cradle), sometimes done following a standing enzuigiri
***Fall In Love (Victory roll pinfall)
***Grounded Cobra Twist - Adopted from Tatsumi Fujinami
**Dragon Rocket (suicide dive) - Adopted from Tatsumi Fujinami
**Diving Sunset Flip (top-rope rolling senton)
**Sky Twister Press (corkscrew moonsault) - used from 2002-2004 while wrestling as Masked Devilock
**Dragon-shiki Harite (left-handed open-palm face slap) - Adopted from Tatsumi Fujinami
**Ura-nage - Adopted from Hiroshi Hase
**All-Out (spinning side slam) - 2006, while wrestling in WRESTLE LAND
**Twelve-Six (Capture suplex into a sitout driver)
**Styles Clash (Belly to Back Inverted Mat Slam) 2013–Present, Adopted from AJ Styles
Nicknames
* High Flying Star
* Once in a Century Talent (１００年に一人の逸材, Hyaku-nen ni Hitori no Itsuzai)
* Ace of the Universe
* "Mr Tokyo Dome"
Tag teams and stables
*Hiroshi Tanahashi & Koji Kanemoto
*Hiroshi Tanahashi & Shinsuke Nakamura
*Hiroshi Tanahashi & Yutaka Yoshie
*New Japan Dragons
*Swing-Lows
*Taguchi Japan
* Entrance music
** High Energy by Julia Claris (2004-2016)
** Love & Energy by Yonosuke Kitamura (January 4, 2017 – Present)
==Championships and accomplishments==
*Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
**CMLL World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Jushin Thunder Liger
**CMLL World Trios Championship (1 time) – with Okumura and Taichi
**CMLL Universal Championship (2013)
*New Japan Pro Wrestling
**IWGP Heavyweight Championship (8 times)
**IWGP Intercontinental Championship (2 times)
**NJPW WORLD Television Championship (1 time)
**IWGP Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Yutaka Yoshie (1), Shinsuke Nakamura (1) and Kota Ibushi (1)
**IWGP U-30 Openweight Championship (2 times)
**NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship (4 times) - with Michael Elgin & Yoshi Tatsu (1), Manabu Nakanishi & Ryusuke Taguchi (1), Ricochet & Ryusuke Taguchi (1) and Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii (1)
**NEVER Openweight Championship (1 time)
**IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
**G1 Climax (2007, 2015, 2018)
**G2 U-30 Climax (2003)
**New Japan Cup (2005, 2008)
**IWGP Heavyweight Title Tournament (2007)
**IWGP U-30 Openweight Championship League (2005)
**U-30 One Night Tag Tournament (2004) – with Taiji Ishimori
**Heavyweight Tag MVP Award (2005) with Shinsuke Nakamura
**Fighting Spirit Award (2003)
**New Wave Award (2002)
**Outstanding Performance Award (2003, 2004)
**Singles Best Bout (2004) vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan on August 15
**Young Lion Award (2001)
**MVP (2018)
*Nikkan Sports
** Fighting Spirit Award (2003)
** MVP Award (2011,2014, 2018)
** Match of the Year Award (2009) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura on November 8
** Match of the Year Award (2012) vs. Kazuchika Okada on February 12
*Pro Wrestling Illustrated
**PWI ranked him #3 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2013
**PWI ranked him #42 in the 2023 PWI Top 500 Wrestlers
*Pro Wrestling NOAH
**GHC Tag Team Champion (1 time) - with Yuji Nagata
*Tokyo Sports
** Best Bout Award (2012) vs. Kazuchika Okada on June 16
** Fighting Spirit Award (2003, 2006)
** MVP Award (2009, 2011, 2014, 2018)
** Outstanding Performance Award (2007)
*Wrestling Observer Newsletter
** 5 Star Match (2012) vs. Minoru Suzuki on October 8
** 5 Star Match (2013) vs. Kazuchika Okada on April 7
** 5 Star Match (2013) vs. Kazuchika Okada on October 14
** 5 Star Match (2014) vs. Katsuyori Shibata on September 21
** 5 Star Match (2015) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura on August 16
** 5 Star Match (2016) vs. Kazuchika Okada on January 4
** 5 Star Match (2017) vs. Tetsuya Naito on August 11
** 5½ Star Match (2018) vs. Kazuchika Okada on May 4
** 5 Star Match (2018) vs. Kazuchika Okada on August 10
** 5 3/4 Star Match (2018) vs. Kota Ibushi on August 12
** 5 Star Match (2018) vs. Kazuchika Okada on September 23
** 5 Star Match (2018) with Will Ospreay vs. Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi on December 15
** 53⁄4 Star Match (2019) vs. Kenny Omega on January 4
** Feud of the Year (2012, 2013) vs. Kazuchika Okada
** Most Charismatic (2013)
** Most Outstanding Wrestler (2012, 2013)
** Pro Wrestling Match of the Year (2012) vs. Minoru Suzuki on October 8
** Pro Wrestling Match of the Year (2013) vs. Kazuchika Okada on April 7
** Pro Wrestling Match of the Year (2016) vs. Kazuchika Okada on January 4
** Wrestler of the Year (2011–2013)
** Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2013)
==Luchas de Apuestas record==
Winner (wager) 	Loser (wager) 	Location 	Event 	Date	Notes
Hiroshi Tanahashi (hair)	Makai #2 (mask) 	Osaka, Japan	Osaka Dream Night	 	
Hiroshi Tanahashi (hair)	Toru Yano (hair)	Osaka, Japan	Dominion 6.19 	 	
==External links==
* Hiroshi Tanahashi profile at CAGEMATCH.net
* Profile
Category:Japanese wrestlers
Category:1976 births
Category:1999 debuts
Category:All Japan Pro Wrestling alumni
Category:Big Japan Pro Wrestling alumni
Category:Border City Wrestling alumni
Category:Combat Zone Wrestling alumni
Category:Dramatic Dream Team alumni
Category:International Wrestling Revolution Group alumni
Category:New Japan Pro Wrestling current roster
Category:Pro Wrestling NOAH alumni
Category:Revolution Pro Wrestling alumni
Category:Toryumon X alumni
Category:Total Nonstop Action Wrestling alumni
Category:Westside Xtreme Wrestling alumni
Category:IWGP Intercontinental Champions
Category:Living people
Category:Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre alumni
Category:IWGP Heavyweight Champions
Category:Ring of Honor alumni
Category:Male wrestlers
Category:NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions
Category:IWGP Tag Team Champions
Category:NEVER Openweight Champions
Category:IWGP United States Champions
Category:New Japan Pro Wrestling Triple Crown Champions
Category:NJPW WORLD Television Champions
Category:House Of Glory alumni