After weeks and months of speculation and rumors as to who could be the person to face Latest Japan Pro Wrestling’s President, Hiroshi Tanahashi, in his retirement match, a current AEW star who might know “The Ace” higher than anyone has answered the decision. Following his victory over Yuto-Ice within the predominant event of the “Latest Japan Road in Anjo” event on November 8, Tanahashi cut a promo to send the live fans home comfortable, but because the show was about to go off the air, the familiar sound of a coin drop could possibly be heard over the speakers, and current AEW Unified Champion Kazuchika Okada made his first appearance in NJPW since leaving the corporate in February 2024 to substantiate that he will probably be Tanahashi’s final opponent.
.@REALgedoWD and @rainmakerXokada
.@tanahashi1_100NEW JAPAN ROAD in ANJO (November. eighth, 2025) Backstagecomments!
Watch FREE｜無料公開中
⇒ From the profile URL｜「NJPW WORLD」で検索11/8(土) #njroad のBSコメントを #NJPWWORLD で無料公開中!#NJPW pic.twitter.com/2SEVIVYhrv
— NJPW WORLD (@njpwworld) November 9, 2025
【来年1月4日(日)東京ドーム大会の第3弾カードが決定！】
・「棚橋弘至引退試合」は、棚橋弘至vsオカダ・カズチカに正式決定！
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— 新日本プロレスリング株式会社 (@njpw1972) November 9, 2025
NJPW then held a press conference on November 9 to each confirm the match between Tanahashi and Okada, and put it on the market with each men present. Okada stated that when he walked out to his old NJPW entrance song to confront Tanahashi, that was simply a one night deal, and that while his former manager Gedo may be in his corner come Wrestle Kingdom 20 on January 4, the person Tanahashi will probably be wrestling will probably be the AEW version of Okada who desires to send everyone home in tears as he plans to make light work of what many consider to be his best rival.
While there had been a variety of reports of WWE Superstar Shinsuke Nakamura being discussed as a possible option for Tanahashi’s final opponent, the feud between Tanahashi and Okada is one of the crucial celebrated in modern wrestling history. The success of the rivalry became the backbone of the success that NJPW had within the 2010s, with each men becoming household names in the method. Their last match took place at “The Latest Starting In Osaka” back in February 2024 in what many fans thought could be their final match together, with their last match on the Tokyo Dome coming in 2016 at Wrestle Kingdom 10. Now they’ll run it back a decade on from their last Tokyo Dome predominant event, and this time it’s going to be the ultimate chapter.