Hiroshi Tanahashi Pulled From NJPW Sakura Genesis Due To Injury

Hiroshi Tanahashi is set to be on the shelf for several weeks.

Tanahashi has been dealing with an ankle injury since day one of New Beginning in Sapporo, an event that saw him drop the NJPW World Television Championship to Matt Riddle after an eight-minute match. Tanahashi was not in action at day two of NJPW's Sapporo shows but he accepted a challenge from Nic Nemeth for an IWGP Global Heavyweight Title match at Sakura Genesis on April 6.

That match has now been delayed, though, with NJPW announcing that Tanahashi's injury will prevent him from wrestling on the show and during the New Japan Cup. Tanahashi is not a part of the single-elimination tournament but he was scheduled to wrestle in multi-man matches during the New Japan Cup that will run from March 7 until March 20.

The new date for Nic Nemeth vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi has yet to be determined. The Ace remains an important part of New Japan and he was appointed NJPW President in December 2023, replacing Takami Ohbari. If the injury will affect those duties is unknown.