Jan 4, 2026
The beginning of
the new year is the endpoint of a career at the same time. It's not
the endpoint of a regular career, but the endpoint of Hiroshi
Tanahashi's career that shaped japanese pro wrestling over the past
26 years and helped change the balance of power in the business. So
it's no exaggeration to say that fans witnessed the closing of the
book of one of the most important careers not just in
New Japan Pro Wrestling, but in modern professional wrestling as a
whole.
Besides the Tanahashi festivities and his tremendous final match
against longtime rival Kazuchika Okada, STRIGGA & Dylan review the
full card, talk about what worked, what didn’t, and how New Japan
presented its biggest show of the year. Above all though, the
Eastern Lariat reflects on Tanahashi’s legacy as the Ace, what his
farewell meant in the context of the event, and where NJPW goes
from here without the man who carried the company on his back and
broke his own body doing so.