Hiroshi Tanahashi has big goals as the new President of NJPW.
The Ace and current reigning NJPW Television Champion spoke about building the promotions its own venue during a recent interview with Tokyo Sports. Tanahashi says that as much as he loves the legendary Korakuen Hall venue, he would love for NJPW to have its own building, and suggests calling it the “Inoki Arena” after the company’s founder, Antonio Inoki.
I want to build New Japan’s own venue. It is a great honor to be able to hold many matches at Korakuen Hall, a sacred place for martial arts. However, in order to expand the size of the company, we want to hold large tournaments at a permanent venue that can accommodate 3,000 to 4,000 people. For example, it would be a “dream” to build the “Inoki Arena” in Tsukiji, where the market has relocated, in the name of Antonio Inoki, the founder of New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
In a separate interview, Tanahashi spoke about his new role as NJPW President and what he hopes to accomplishes for the promotion administratively after an incredible in-ring career. You can read about that here.