In the span of just twenty-seven days, the professional wrestling landscape lost two of its most resilient foundations. On January 4, 2026, at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20, Hiroshi Tanahashi wrestled his last match in the Tokyo Dome, where he had many classic contests during his career, with him being considered one of the greatest performers in Tokyo Dome history, headlining a record 11 NJPW January 4 Tokyo Dome shows. Less than a month later, on January 31, AJ Styles threw up the P1 on his gloves one more time in the center of the ring at WWE Royal Rumble 2026.
Their careers ended on opposite sides of the globe, but their journeys were remarkably parallel. More than wrestlers, one was the Ace of Aces, while the other was Phenomenal in every one of his matches, and both of them were top-tier, foundational, and generation-defining performers for major companies.
To understand why their retirements feel so linked, we have to go back to exactly twenty years. Before AJ Styles became "The Face That Runs the Place" in WWE or Hiroshi Tanahashi became the Ace of NJPW, they crossed paths in a TNA ring.
In January 2006, at TNA Final Resolution, Hiroshi Tanahashi made his first appearance in an American pro-wrestling company. He faced AJ Styles in a special attraction between two wrestlers who were established stars in their respective companies.
The most cited matches between AJ Styles and Hiroshi Tanahashi took place in 2014 and 2015. Styles joined NJPW and adapted to the company's unique style of intense, action-packed, fast-paced matches, and Tanahashi was one of his frequent opponents.
At King Of Pro-Wrestling on October 13, 2014, Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated AJ Styles to win his record-breaking 7th IWGP Heavyweight Championship, in a match that was considered the best of that year by many fans. It can be seen in its entirety via the NJPW World streaming service.
AJ Styles reclaimed the IWGP Heavyweight Championship on February 11, 2015, at The New Beginning in Osaka, in a match that became bloody. You can see it in its entirety on NJPW World here.
The match between AJ Styles and Hiroshi Tanahashi on August 14, 2015, at G1 Climax 25 is considered a masterpiece by many fans, and can be seen on NJPW World. The G1 Climax tournament reached a new level of international recognition that year, and Tanahashi was the winner of this match, securing his place in the finals and going on to win the tournament.
The AJ Styles vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi matches in 2014 and 2015 made both men fully realize that they speak the same in-ring language, as their seamless chemistry was proof of it. Styles and Tanahashi have expressed immense mutual respect, praising each other as one of the best in the world.
Something very noteworthy about their dual retirements is what their farewell tours were like. With WWE's current administration allowing Superstars more input into their characters and how they are used, and with Hiroshi Tanahashi now the President and Representative Director of NJPW, both he and AJ Styles could have spent their final months as professional wrestlers in the center of the spotlights of their respective companies, and they earned the right to do so. However, neither one of them did that.
Hiroshi Tanahashi spent his final year having more tag team matches than singles matches, helping newer generations of wrestlers grow and evolve. Meanwhile, AJ Styles focused on tag teaming as well, becoming WWE World Tag Team Champions with Dragon Lee, helping elevate Lee to his first championship on the WWE main roster.
Also, the events where AJ Styles and Hiroshi Tanahashi's pro-wrestling careers concluded are equally symbolic, full-circle events. After headlining a record 11 Tokyo Dome main events, Tanahashi finished his legendary 26-year career at that same venue, which he helped rebuild. Meanwhile, Royal Rumble is the same event where AJ Styles made his WWE debut 10 years earlier, beginning one of the most dominant and decorated WWE careers of the modern era.
With AJ Styles and Hiroshi Tanahashi now moved on from full-time in-ring competition, the statistics -the championships, the merchandise sales- although notable, matter less than the example they set, that pro-wrestlers can follow. Styles and Tanahashi proved that blending technical wrestling and psychology with high-paced athleticism is a key to success in the pro-wrestling industry.
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