Hiroshi Tanahashi, Japanese wrestler
Hiroshi Tanahashi (棚橋弘至, Tanahashi Hiroshi, born November 13, 1976) is a Japanese professional wrestler and actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he works primarily for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).
His accolades in NJPW include a record setting eight reigns as IWGP Heavyweight Champion, two reigns as IWGP Intercontinental Champion, two reigns as IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion, three reigns as IWGP Tag Team Champion, one reign as NEVER Openweight Champion and three reigns as NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion. All totaled, Tanahashi has won 21 championships in NJPW. He has also won NJPW's premier tournament, the G1 Climax, on three occasions (2007, 2015 and 2018) and won the New Japan Cup twice, in 2005 and 2008, and is recognised as the fourth wrestler to accomplish NJPW's Triple Crown and the second to accomplish its Grand Slam, making him one of the most decorated wrestlers in NJPW.
Through NJPW's working agreements with Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), Pro Wrestling Noah and Revolution Pro Wrestling, Tanahashi has also held the CMLL World Tag Team Championship, the CMLL World Trios Championship, the CMLL Universal Championship, GHC Tag Team Championship, and the RevPro British Heavyweight Championship. Between NJPW, CMLL, Noah and RevPro, he has 26 championship reigns.
When Tanahashi was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame in 2013, Dave Meltzer stated that "you could make a strong case for him as the best in-ring performer in the business today", adding that he was "the leading star in New Japan Pro-Wrestling's comeback from being in terrible shape a few years back to being the No. 2 pro wrestling company in the world".