Hiroshi Tanahashi plans to stay on the road with NJPW.
Hiroshi Tanahashi has been appointed the new President and Representative Director of NJPW, leading many fans to question his status as a wrestler, as he is still active in the ring. He currently holds the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship with Kazuchika Okada and Tomohiro Ishii.
NJPW's official website shared a transcription of Hiroshi Tanahashi's comments at a press conference, where he was also asked about his new role. He noted that he still wants to win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, but he is confident that a true "Ace" can both be a wrestler and a president.
Tanahashi went on to state that he intends to be on the road with NJPW, but he will be in the office when they are in Tokyo. He emphasized that he wants to head up promotion as much as he can, but the company has plenty of wrestlers.
"Well, I plan on being on the road with NJPW, but when the company is in Tokyo then I plan on being in the office. I do want to be heading up promotion as much as I can be, but we also have a lot of wrestlers on the roster. In between tours, training and preparing for the next matches is very important, but promotion is also crucial, and I’d like our wrestlers to take up that workload, absolutely," Tanahashi said.
When asked whether his new position will affect his approach to the ring, he noted that he is thinking about the rest of his active career, and the world title is a key goal. Tanahashi also joked that he could be a target, as wrestling is the only business where people can freely beat up their boss.
"I’m obviously thinking about the rest of my active career. Obviously as for everyone, within that the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship is a key goal. This is probably the only business where guys can freely beat up their boss, so that might make me an even bigger target, but I hope to make all the boys angry with how hard I’m fighting (laughs)," Tanahashi said.
Tanahashi was also asked to name the advantage of being a wrestler and a president at the same time, and he highlighted how he can leverage it into more promotion in various mediums. He stated that it would be a benefit to the company's sales and overall promotion.
Click here to see what Hiroshi Tanahashi had to say about his new role.
Check out Takami Ohbari's comments about Hiroshi Tanahashi's new role in NJPW here.
Fightful will have live coverage of NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18 as it airs on January 4.
