During a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Hiroshi Tanahashi commented on wanting to come to the United States once a month, being the IWGP Champion, and more. You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On being the IWGP US Champion: “I think the IWGP U.S. heavyweight championship is truly meaningful when it is defended in the U.S. I have a desire to go to the U.S. once a month. Sometimes, I’d even like it to be once a week.”
On his match with Lance Archer: “I’ve wrestled Lance Archer many times. Every time I wrestled him, I felt him evolving. He is a great wrestler. His power and speed are amazing, and the best thing about him is that he is smart. He’s always been a heel wrestler since he joined New Japan. But he is a handsome guy, and I want to see him wrestling as a babyface.”
On being in front of a vocal crowd again: “This was the first time in a year and a half that I was able to wrestle in front of a vocal crowd. It was a really exhilarating feeling, and it gave me a ton of extra strength. I was incredibly fired up. It was a fantastic environment to wrestle in.”
