WWE Star Reacts To Hiroshi Tanahashi Using His Finisher In Retirement Match

AEW/WWE

A WWE star has reacted to Hiroshi Tanahashi’s homage to him during his NJPW retirement match, with Tanahashi hitting a familiar move.

Hiroshi Tanahashi wrestled his final match at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20 on January 5.

The NJPW president faced off against Kazuchika Okada, ultimately losing to the AEW International Champion following 33 minutes of action.

During the match, Hiroshi Tanahashi paid tribute to several people in his career, including AEW’s Katsuyori Shibata and WWE’s Shinsuke Nakamura.

In a moment which you can view in the clip below, Tanahashi dropped Okada with Shibata’s signature Pele Kick, before taking him down with Nakamura’s Bomaye/Kinshasa knee strike.

Tokyo Sports has revealed Shinsuke Nakamura’s reaction to this moment, with the outlet noting that Nakamura laughed before stating:

“I thought he didn’t need to be so careful.”

(Translated from Japanese)

Katsuyori Shibata was one of several AEW stars who appeared in Tanahashi’s post-match retirement ceremony, with Shibata and Tanahashi trading strikes before embracing.

Tanahashi, Shibata and Nakamura were notably known as the new Three Musketeers in NJPW in the early 2000s, during the trio’s rookie years.

Shinsuke Nakamura offered further comments on Hiroshi Tanahashi’s retirement match, which you can read more about right here.

Hiroshi Tanahashi with a homage to Shinsuke Nakamura at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20 🔥👇pic.twitter.com/klqEIXelgT

— WrestleTalk (@WrestleTalk_TV) January 4, 2026