Hiroshi Tanahashi Reveals Two AEW Stars He Wants To Work With

TOKYO, JAPAN - JANUARY 05: Hiroshi Tanaashi enters the ring during the New Japan Pro-Wrestling at Ota-City General Gymnasium on January 05, 2023 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)

Although he will be squaring off against MJF for the AEW Championship at The Forbidden Door 2 this weekend, Hiroshi Tanahashi has his sights set on a couple of other high-profile AEW matches as well.

During a recent Sports Illustrated interview, the NJPW star spoke about wanting one-on-one matches with Claudio Castagnoli and CM Punk.

Featured below are some of the highlights.

On Claudio Castagnoli: “Castagnoli is a great wrestler. I know that he used to team with Shinsuke Nakamura, and that was an emotional link for me. I’d love to have a singles match against him.”

On CM Punk: “And I want to wrestle CM Punk since I couldn’t do it last year. I have wrestled Bryan Danielson once before when I was younger. But with him being one of the top wrestlers in the U.S. and the world right now, I’d love for us to go again.”

On what fans can expect from The Forbidden Door 2: “Fans can look forward to seeing a classic, traditional NJPW style in the ring.Whatever expectations you have, I guarantee I’ll go beyond them. So get ready.”

Check out the complete interview at SI.com.