NJPW superstar Hiroshi Tanahashi recently spoke with Sports Illustrated to hype up this week’s WrestleKingdom 16 pay per view, where the Ace challenges KENTA for the IWGP United States championship. Highlights from the interview are below.
Says his goal is to bring the IWGP U.S. title back to the United States:
“I want to take the IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Championship back. Nothing’s set in stone yet, but my goal is to bring the belt back to the states.”
How he wants to start growing NJPW again and win the new world title:
“For New Japan at large, I want us to put COVID in the rearview mirror and start growing again. For me personally, of course, I want to be IWGP World Heavyweight Champion.”
How he hopes to remain active at the top of the industry:
“As long as I am still active, I want to be at the very top of this business. But first I have to produce results and earn that spot.”