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NJPW legend Hiroshi Tanahashi recently expressed his desire to get in the ring with AEW star CM Punk.
The 45-year-old star has been a stalwart of NJPW for over two decades. He has carved an everlasting legacy by delivering nonstop classic matches and compelling in-ring storytelling.
His accolades on Japanese soil speak volumes for his stature. The Ace has racked up 21 championships in NJPW, including the coveted IWGP Heavyweight title a record eight times. If one may recall, Tanahashi first came up with the so-called "Forbidden Door" term and expressed his desire to wrestle in AEW.
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In an interview with Sports Illustrated's Justin Barrasso, Hiroshi Tanahashi asserted that he would like to regain the IWGP United States Championship before eyeing a return to American soil:
“Recapturing the U.S. heavyweight title before I return to the United States, that is what I need to do,” Tanahashi says. “I want to do that for my fans. The presence of fans is my number-one treasure. With them, the significance of being a professional wrestler is not the same. The desire to have them enjoy professional wrestling brings out the absolute best abilities of the wrestlers and pushes us beyond our limits.”
While recalling his one-off bout against a young Bryan Danielson, the NJPW legend said he wants to renew the feud with Bryan now that the latter has become a much bigger star. Tanahashi added that a match against a box-office name like CM Punk would grab headlines across the wrestling world
“I wrestled against Bryan once in my youth, and now I want to fight him again as a superstar,” Tanahashi says. “CM Punk is famous all over the world, so I would like to wrestle him in a situation that will be big news across the world."
The Second City Saint has been on almost every wrestler's bucket list since his return to pro wrestling in AEW last year.
Should Hiroshi Tanahashi break the hinges of the AEW-NJPW forbidden door, fans would love to see him collide with CM Punk in a marquee match down the road.
CM Punk has issued a challenge to the entire AEW locker room
While only time will tell when Punk and Tanahashi will share the squared circle, the former is currently focused on getting himself booked for AEW Dynamite next week.
The Chicago-native recently took to Twitter, laying out the challenge to anyone from the locker room to step up against him next week.
So far, many wrestlers have responded to CM Punk's challenge, but the company hasn't made any of these fantasy matchups official for their upcoming show.
It will be interesting to see what AEW has in store for the 43-year-old in New Orleans next week.
Do you want to see Hiroshi Tanahashi in AEW? Sound off in the comments section below.
