Tanahashi versus Shibata at Wrestle Dynasty.
On the docket for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 19 was a Lumberjack match between EVIL and NJPW President Hiroshi Tanahashi. In January 2026, Tanahashi will be wrapping up his in-ring career.
The stipulation for the Lumberjack match was that if EVIL defeated Tanahashi, his career would end then instead of his planned timeframe. In EVIL’s corner was House of Torture (Dick Togo, Yujiro Takahashi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & SHO). In Tanahashi’s corner was Oleg Boltin, Tiger Mask, Master Wato and Toru Yano.
The conclusion of the bout saw EVIL hit Tanahashi with an ‘Everything is Evil.’ When he went for the cover, Tanahashi trapped his legs for a pin and secured himself the win. Immediately after, House of Torture jumped in the ring and went after Tanahashi and his allies.
When they had the numbers game on Tanahashi, a hooded individual ran in to make the save and it was Katsuyori Shibata.
After Shibata cleared the ring, he helped Tanahashi up and then asked him for a singles match at Wrestle Dynasty on 1/5 at the Tokyo Dome. Tanahashi accepted the challenge. It’ll be the first time they’ve shared a ring in a sanctioned match since 2016 and their first singles bout since 2015.
