Hiroshi Tanahashi’s final match in the US is less than two weeks away.
The former IWGP Heavyweight Champion is on the final run of his career and Tanahashi’s final bout in the US will be against the current NEVER Openweight Champion, Konosuke Takeshita. This is a non-title match, but if Tanahashi does beat Takeshita then he’ll surely be in line for a rematch sometime in the future.
However, that isn’t the only big draw here. In what should be a classic, Gabe Kidd will defend the NJPW Strong Openweight Championship against Tomohiro Ishii in a 30-Minute Iron Man Match. The last time these two fought, the match ended in a draw. Kidd has held the NJPW Strong Openweight Championship for over 320 days, beating Lio Rush, Anthony Henry, and Ultimo Guerrero to successfully retain his belt.
But Tomohiro Ishii has won multiple titles in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. A former six time NEVER Openweight Champion. Two time RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Champion. And a former ROH World Television Champion. The veteran knows how to get the job done and it should be an exciting bout that determines the rightful champion.
Former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Zack Sabre Jr. will also compete on the Chicago card as he’ll take on 2025 New Japan Cup winner David Finlay. The interesting fact about this match is that Finlay will be competing for the world title a week before Windy City Riot. The New Japan Cup winner could be walking into this match as the new IWGP World Heavyweight Champion.
Check out the full line-up for the Windy City Riot show:
- Hiroshi Tanahashi's Last US Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Konosuke Takeshita
- 30-Minute Iron Man Match for NJPW Strong Openweight Championship: Gabe Kidd (c) vs. Tomohiro Ishii
- Zack Sabre vs. David Finlay
- NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championships: West Coast Wrecking Crew (Royce Isaacs and Jorel Nelson) (c) vs. Intergalactic Jet Setters (KUSHIDA and Kevin Knight).
- Tetsuya Naito & Titan vs. Rocky Romero & El Phantasmo