A number of AEW stars made return appearances at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20, including some who have been absent from AEW TV.
The January 4, 2026 event concluded with a retirement ceremony for Hiroshi Tanahashi, shortly after his final match against Kazuchika Okada.
Okada wasn’t AEW’s only representative in Tanahashi’s retirement ceremony, with several other notable names making NJPW return appearances to honor the wrestling legend, as you can see in the clips below.
With his return announced ahead of the event, Will Ospreay entered the ring to present Tanahashi with flowers.
Ospreay has been out of action since August 2025, dealing with herniated disc injuries.
Also previously announced for this ceremony was Kenny Omega, who appeared alongside Kota Ibushi.
Ibushi suffered a broken femur in October 2025, but notably walked to the ring at Wrestle Kingdom 20 under his own power.
Another absent star who appeared to pay tribute to Tanahashi was Jay White, who hasn’t wrestled since March 2025. White presented flowers to the man who he defeated to become IWGP World Heavyweight Champion in February 2019.
Katsuyori Shibata also appeared during the retirement ceremony, exchanging chops with Tanahashi before embracing the retiring star.
Other stars who were featured in Tanahashi’s retirement ceremony included Keiji Muto, Tatsumi Fujinami and Tetsuya Naito.
Prior to Hiroshi Tanahashi’s retirement match and segment, IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Konosuke Takeshita and IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion Yota Tsuji faced off with both titles on the line.
Tsuji was ultimately victorious, ending Konosuke Takeshita’s reign with NJPW’s top championship.
.@tanahashi1_100 💐 @WillOspreay
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— NJPW WORLD (@njpwworld) January 4, 2026
.@tanahashi1_100 💐 @ibushi_kota & @KennyOmegamanX
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— NJPW WORLD (@njpwworld) January 4, 2026
.@tanahashi1_100 💐 @JayWhiteNZ
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— NJPW WORLD (@njpwworld) January 4, 2026
.@tanahashi1_100 🤝 @K_Shibata2022
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— NJPW WORLD (@njpwworld) January 4, 2026
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