Hiroshi Tanahashi

Alma mater
 Ring name(s)
Masked Devilock[1]
Super Strong Machine Ace
Tanahashi[3]
 Billed height
Kensuke Sasaki[6]
NJPW Dojo[1]
 Debut

**Hiroshi Tanahashi** (棚橋 弘至 *Tanahashi Hiroshi*, born November 13, 1976)[1][2] is a Japanese professional wrestler who works primarily for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the current and record setting eight-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion. His other accolades in NJPW include being a former two-time IWGP Intercontinental Champion, a two-time IWGP Tag Team Champion and a three-time NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion.

Through NJPW's working agreements with Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) and Pro Wrestling Noah, Tanahashi has also held the CMLL World Tag Team Championship, the CMLL World Trios Championship, the CMLL Universal Championship and the GHC Tag Team Championship. Tanahashi holds the record for most reigns as the IWGP Heavyweight Champion, while his fifth reign held the record for most successful defenses with eleven until May 5, 2018.[7]He has also won NJPW's premier tournament, the G1 Climax, on three occasions (2007, 2015 and 2018).

When Tanahashi was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame in 2013, Dave Meltzer stated that "you could make a strong case for him as the best in-ring performer in the business today", adding that he was "the leading star in New Japan Pro Wrestling's comeback from being in terrible shape a few years back to being the No. 2 pro wrestling company in the world".[8]

## Moveset

**Finishing moves**

* *High Fly Flow* (diving arching body press), sometimes done to a standing opponent
* Texas Cloverleaf hold

**Signature moves**

* Dragon Sleeper
* Sling Blade - Innovated
* Various suplexes
	+ bridging Dragon Suplex - Main finisher from 2002-2004; has since become used primarily as a signature move
	+ *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

## Championships and Accomplishments

* **Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre**
	+ CMLL World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Jushin Thunder Liger[66]
	+ CMLL World Trios Championship (1 time) – with Okumura and Taichi[136]
	+ CMLL Universal Championship (2013)[150]
* **New Japan Pro-Wrestling**
	+ IWGP Heavyweight Championship (8 times, current)[1]
	+ IWGP Intercontinental Championship (2 times)[78][129]
	+ IWGP Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Yutaka Yoshie (1), Shinsuke Nakamura (1) [1]
	+ NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Michael Elgin and Yoshitatsu (1),[115] Manabu Nakanishi and Ryusuke Taguchi (1),[122]and Ricochet and Ryusuke Taguchi (1)[124]
	+ G1 Climax (2007, 2015, 2018)
	+ G2 U-30 Climax (2003)[162]
	+ New Japan Cup (2005, 2008)[163][164]
	+ IWGP Heavyweight Title Tournament (2007)[165]
	+ IWGP U-30 Openweight Championship League (2005)[166]
	+ U-30 One Night Tag Tournament (2004) – with Taiji Ishimori[167]
	+ Heavyweight Tag MVP Award (2005) with Shinsuke Nakamura[168]
	+ Fighting Spirit Award (2003)[169]
	+ New Wave Award (2002)[170]
	+ Outstanding Performance Award (2003, 2004)[169][171]
	+ Singles Best Bout (2004) vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan on August 15[171]
	+ Young Lion Award (2001)[172]
	+ New Japan Pro-Wrestling MVP (2018)[173]
* ***Nikkan Sports***
	+ Fighting Spirit Award (2003)[174]
	+ MVP Award (2011, 2014)[175][176]
	+ Match of the Year Award (2009) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura on November 8[177]
	+ Match of the Year Award (2012) vs. Kazuchika Okada on February 12[178]
* ***Pro Wrestling Illustrated***
	+ PWI ranked him #**3** of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2013[179]
* **Pro Wrestling Noah**
	+ GHC Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Yuji Nagata[1]
* ***Tokyo Sports***
	+ Best Bout Award (2012) vs. Kazuchika Okada on June 16[180][181]
	+ Fighting Spirit Award (2003, 2006)[182]
	+ MVP Award (2009, 2011, 2014, 2018)[183][184][185][186]
	+ Outstanding Performance Award (2007)[187]
* ***Wrestling Observer Newsletter***
	+ Feud of the Year (2012, 2013) vs. Kazuchika Okada[188][189]
	+ Most Charismatic (2013)[189]
	+ Most Outstanding Wrestler (2012, 2013)[188][189]
	+ Pro Wrestling Match of the Year (2012) vs. Minoru Suzuki on October 8[188]
	+ Pro Wrestling Match of the Year (2013) vs. Kazuchika Okada on April 7[189]
	+ Pro Wrestling Match of the Year (2016) vs. Kazuchika Okada on January 4[190]
	+ Wrestler of the Year (2011–2013)[188][189][191]
	+ Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2013)[8]