Ahead of his match against Lance Archer at NJPW Resurgence, New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Hiroshi Tanahashi spoke with Sports Illustrated, and hyped his upcoming match against “The Murderhawk Monster.” Tanahashi also discussed the “forbidden door,” and more. Check out the highlights below.
On the “Forbidden Door” being open to most promotions:
“I think, now more than ever, it’s important for all of pro wrestling to come together and get past all the troubles COVID has presented. I think the best way we can do that is to bring the fans the best possible matches, and those dream-match scenarios. I think being able to wrestle in all these organizations can only be a good thing….I predict that once COVID is behind us, you’re going to see even more movement and exchanges between Japan and America,” Tanahashi says. “The U.S. heavyweight title is the key to those doors being unlocked, and that’s what makes it extra important.”
On Saturday’s NJPW Resurgence match against Lance Archer:
“However many times we wrestle, I always think he’s great. This time it’s in the states, on his home turf, so I have to be careful of him having the home field advantage. I’m excited to find out what will be different this time.”
On a potential match against Jon Moxley:
“I’d love to wrestle Moxley someday. Nagata can really do it all. He can get rough with you or he can rely on his perfect technique. Moxley was able to overcome that and win, and that shows how great he is.”
