48-year-old legend breaks down in tears after Kenny Omega's breathtaking return match

Kenny Omega returned to the ring at NJPW's Wrestle Dynasty event on January 5. After his brutal match against Gabe Kidd was over, fans were shocked to see Japanese legend Hiroshi Tanahashi in tears.

Kenny Omega and Gabe Kidd spent weeks taunting each other and building their Wrestle Dynasty match on a platform of bitter hatred. However, Kidd proved himself in the eyes of many by putting on a spirited performance against The Best Bout Machine in the Tokyo Dome.

The two wrestled for more than half an hour, and although Kidd lost, he seemed to have cemented himself as a major player in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. After the bell rang, cameras caught Hiroshi Tanahashi, who's an old rival of Omega's and one of Kidd's backstage supporters, shedding tears over the spectacle.

Check out a screengrab of Tanahashi breaking down from Wrestle Dynasty 2025:

Tanahashi's tears at Wrestle Dynasty [Image credit: Screenshot of NJPW Global's X post]

You can check out NJPW's official coverage of the moment by clicking here.

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Kenny Omega will return to AEW Dynamite this Wednesday

Before returning to the ring at Wrestle Dynasty, Kenny Omega had been out of action since December 2023. The former AEW World Champion underwent surgery for diverticulitis last year, and it's been a long road to recovery.

All Elite Wrestling has undergone several major changes during his hiatus, and many fans are hoping to see Omega return with a vengeance. The Best Bout Machine is set to make his Dynamite comeback this Wednesday night, where he could address the recent happenings in his home promotion.

Omega was betrayed and attacked by his former faction The Elite in March 2024, right before he underwent surgery. Since then, The Young Bucks have fled AEW TV, and Kazuchika Okada is the only member of the stable to currently hold a championship in the company. Whether The Cleaner returns with revenge on his mind remains to be seen.