15 Wrestlers we MIGHT never see in the WWE

#12 Hiroshi Tanahashi

Tanahashi is one of the best wrestlers alive today...despite being 40 years old.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the Japanese John Cena, Hiroshi Tanahashi.

The comparisons between these two men are staggering: both men have insanely-chiselled physiques, are popular with multiple fan demographics, have main-evented the biggest shows of their respective promotions for many years, have had enormous merchandise empires built around them, and have carried their respective companies on their shoulders for years.

But the biggest difference between them is that, even though Cena has become a great wrestler in the past few years, Tanahashi has been an outstanding grappler for a much longer time period.

With WWE seeking to gain a bigger foothold in the Japanese wrestling market, it wouldn’t be farfetched to suggest they might want to sign Tanahashi, especially following the popularity that Shinsuke Nakamura has managed to cultivate over the past year.

However, this won’t happen because Tanahashi is a lifer in NJPW and is a certified legend over there. At 40 years old, Tanahashi is likely to be positioned in a veteran role wherein he helps younger guys get over.

The only way Tanahashi would ever work for any other promotion would be some kind of cross-promotional deal, such as the one NJPW has with ROH right now. Since WWE isn’t likely to do this anytime soon, you can be sure that Tanahashi won’t ever work for WWE.