Wrestlers who have reportedly opted not to go to WWE once their current deals expire

Hiroshi Tanahashi

New Japan's Ace will remain with the company for the foreseeable future.

According to a report from WrestlingInc and the man himself, Tanahashi is staying in NJPW.

He announced the new contract last week, solidifying his spot in the company he's helped carry for the last 15 years. Although he's 'passed the torch' to Kazuchika Okada, he's still always lingering around the IWGP Heavyweight Title picture. He'll challenge Kenny Omega for the title at Wrestle Kingdom 13 on January 4.

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Since Omega's current deal with NJPW expires at the end of January 2019, it wouldn't be much of a shock to see Tanahashi pick up his eighth IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Someone other than Okada needs to carry the belt if Omgea leaves, and Tanahashi is more than capable of doing so.

Tanahashi might have also been one of the top NJPW stars that were reportedly offered deals by WWE, but we won't know unless either side says as much.

About the author

Matt Serocki is a sports journalist from outside of Boston, Massachusetts who has written about sports for a local newspaper, the MetroWest Daily News.

Matt has written about professional wrestling for the past year but has been writing lyrics, short stories and novels in his spare time. He writes around 30-50 articles per month.

During his time on writing for Sportskeeda, Matt has written about a variety of topics including the history of the business as well as about the current stars and product. He follows numerous promotions like the WWE, AEW, ROH, MLW, NJPW, Championship Wrestling from Hollywood and WOW.

Studied Communications with a focus on writing at Framingham State University from 2000-2004.

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Edited by Kingshuk Kusari