Why Okada is the Only Choice for Tanahashi’s Final Match At Wrestle Kingdom 20

The professional wrestling world was buzzing this past weekend. No, not because of some half-baked storyline or a surprise title change nobody asked for. This was real. The opponent for Hiroshi Tanahashi’s final match at Wrestle Kingdom 20 was announced, and in a move that was both completely expected and yet somehow still a shock, it’s none other than his career-defining rival, Kazuchika Okada.

Let’s be honest, for anyone who’s paid a lick of attention to New Japan Pro-Wrestling over the last fifteen years, this was the only logical conclusion. For Tanahashi, the man who carried NJPW on his back through its darkest days, it had to be the man he passed the torch to, the “Rainmaker” himself and with AEW’s partnership, it was a no-brainer.

The “What Ifs”: Nakamura and Naito

According to the wrestling sages Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Radio, there was some fire to that smoke. Nakamura was reportedly interested. He has a clause in his WWE contract that allows for these kinds of special appearances. WWE would still have the final say, and somewhere along the line, that conversation fizzled out.

Maybe it was money, maybe it was creative differences, or maybe someone in Stamford just decided they didn’t want to play nice. We’ll probably never know the full story, just that the dream match will remain just that—a dream.

Then there’s Tetsuya Naito. The ungovernable one was apparently asked and agreed to do it. But it seems the follow-up call never came. It’s almost poetically tragic for Naito, the man who won the fan vote to headline Wrestle Kingdom over Tanahashi and Okada years ago, only to be once again sidelined for their epic drama. You can almost picture him shrugging nonchalantly, tossing his IWGP title in the air, and muttering, “Tranquilo.” It just wasn’t his story to finish.

It Was Always Going to Be Okada

In the end, it couldn’t have been anyone else. As Meltzer put it, “If you look at Tanahashi’s career and go who was Tanahashi’s greatest opponent, the answer is Okada. It’s not even debatable.” And he’s absolutely right.

The Tanahashi-Okada rivalry is the stuff of legend. It’s the modern-day Flair vs. Steamboat, Rock vs. Austin. It was a story told over years, a saga that defined an entire era of professional wrestling and catapulted NJPW onto the global stage. Tanahashi, the established “Ace,” the traditional hero, against Okada, the brash, cocky prodigy who returned from an underwhelming excursion to declare himself the new king.

Their series of matches wasn’t just five-star classics; they were cinematic masterpieces. Each bout built upon the last, telling a story of pride, respect, and the inevitable passing of the torch.

Tanahashi desperately clung to his spot at the top, fighting with every ounce of his being to prove he was still the one. Okada, in turn, had to claw his way past the living legend to truly claim the throne. It was the feud that made Okada a superstar and cemented Tanahashi’s legacy as one of the all-time greats.

Final Thoughts – The Final Match Of The President & Ace Of New Japan

So, for Hiroshi Tanahashi, now the President of the very company he saved, to choose Okada for his final match? It’s not just a business decision to sell out the Tokyo Dome. It’s personal. It’s art. It’s the final chapter of one of the greatest stories ever told in a wrestling ring. Anything else would have felt like a cheap substitute, a footnote in a story that deserved a grand, declarative final sentence. This is the ending the story, and the fans, deserve. Go Ace.