[Watch] Matt Riddle debuts in major promotion and challenges 47-year-old legend

The pro wrestling world has certainly welcomed 2024 in grand style! Matt Riddle made his NJPW debut at New Year Dash and has challenged Hiroshi Tanahashi to a match.

The King of Bros left the WWE in September 2023, and many expected him to hit the ground running on the indie circuit. Even though he had wrestled in a few companies before he joined WWE, he'd never worked for New Japan Pro Wrestling, and several fans believed his style was best suited for Japan.

NJPW recently offered an eventful Wrestle Kingdom 18, where Hiroshi Tanahashi became the World Television Champion, and he defended the title at New Year Dash the following day against Ryusuke Taguchi.

Following the successful title defense, a video package aired on the big screen in which Matt Riddle revealed his intentions to go after Hiroshi Tanahashi's championship.

The vignette began with Riddle's training clips before he could be seen stepping out of a car with his trademark flip-flops. The former WWE United States Champion called out the Ace of New Japan, as you can view below:

"Konnichiwa New Japan. Let me introduce myself. My name is Matthew Riddle, The King of Bros, and I've got my sights set on Tanahashi-san, the Ace of New Japan. I'll see you soon, bro," declared Riddle.

A confused Tanahashi grabbed the microphone and claimed to have no clue who Matt Riddle was.

The NJPW President's seemingly hilarious response to Riddle's challenge was acknowledged by the commentary team as well:

Matt Riddle isn't the only former WWE star who has made their NJPW debuts

It does feel like the beginning of a new era in NJPW, following Hiroshi Tanahashi becoming the promotion president, as Wrestle Kingdom 18 had some big moments that will be replayed for years.

Tetsuya Naito won the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in a great main event, but one of the biggest stories of the night was regarding Nic Nemeth, fka Dolph Ziggler's debut.

The former WWE Intercontinental Champion was first spotted in the crowd with his brother, Ryan Nemeth, watching the tag team titles match.

Ziggler later got into a brawl with David Finlay and, in a chaotic backstage scene, confirmed that he wanted to capture the IWGP Global Championship.

NJPW now has two former WWE stars, Riddle and Ziggler, going after two of its titles, and it will be interesting to see how the matches pan out.

Are you excited to see Ziggler and Riddle return to the ring? Sound off in the comments section below!