NJPW: Why Hiroshi Tanahashi Wasn’t At New Beginning in Sapporo Day 2

In translating a tweet from NJPW’s Official Twitter account, Chris Charlton announced on his Twitter, that Hiroshi Tanahashi has been removed from upcoming NJPW shows.

After his match against Minoru Suzuki, Hiroshi Tanahashi was removed from NJPW The New Beginning in Sapporo Day 2. The match saw Suzuki working over the injured knees and biceps of Tanahashi throughout the match. As it went on, this factored more and more into the story of the match. Tanahashi was unable to run the ropes to get momentum. When he hit a standing High Fly Flow on Suzuki, Tanahashi crashed to the mat hitting his knee. This proved to be a major part of why Tanahashi lost the match.

In the closing sequence, Suzuki tore away at Tanahashi’s knees with long sequences of leglocks and kneebars. Every single time, Tanahashi would not quit but he could not escape. After several minutes in a kneebar, the referee called for the bell. Minoru Suzuki won the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. This marks Suzuki’s first reign with the title. The crowd’s response to Tanahashi losing was shock, with people seen with tears in their eyes. I will never forget the image of Tanahashi being carried out of the ring on a stretcher.

People have been speculating that NJPW might do an injury angle in this match to give Tanahashi some much needed time off. He has spent much of the last year very hurt, with two major injuries. The first injury was a torn bicep that Tanahashi chose to neglect surgery on, and he has never quite healed fully. The second was a knee injury that happened during the World Tag League shows in December.

Next: NJPW The New Beginning in Sapporo Day 1 Review

If Tanahashi is taking time off, he deserves it. The Ace of New Japan has given his all for over a decade to this company with little time off. He has constantly come back from injuries far too early, and now it’s time for him to rest.