Hiroshi Tanahashi Invites CM Punk To Face Him At NJPW Wrestle Kingdom

Hiroshi Tanahashi is not getting his match with CM Punk at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door, so he has an alternate plan: NJPW Wrestle Kingdom. Tanahashi was scheduled to face Punk at the June 26th PPV, but as announced by Punk on Friday’s AEW Rampage he must undergo surgery to fix an injury and will not be able to compete at the show.

Tanahashi spoke with Tokyo Sports and said that he is inviting Punk to face him at Wrestle Kingdom, which will kick off 2023 for NJPW as per normal.

“1.4 Wrestle Kingdom,” Tanahashi said (translated by @golden_kuma on Twitter). “Punk owes me one. I’d like to invite him to Japan. I’ve been to the US a lot, so come here with a special price. Tokyo Dome is a prestigious stage.”

Wrestle Kingdom 17 is set to take place on January 4th (and likely 5th) at the Tokyo Dome. Meanwhile, an interim AEW World Champion will be crowned at AEW x NJPW Forbidden door when the winner of Tanahashi vs. Hirooki Goto faces the winner of Jon Moxley and the victor in a battle royale that will open up this week’s AEW Dynamite.