WWE's Iyo Sky Shares Retirement Message For Hiroshi Tanahashi

By Max Everett
Iyo Sky Etsuo Hara/Getty Images

WWE Superstar Iyo Sky shared a retirement message for Hiroshi Tanahashi as he wound down his 26-year career in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 20. 

Tanahashi bid farewell to a sold-out Tokyo Dome on Sunday with a loss to Kazuchika Okada after 33 minutes, joined by legends and rivals alike with AEW's Jay White, Will Ospreay, Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi, and Katsuyori Shibata emerging to give the NJPW President his flowers. Japanese legends like Tatsumi Fujinami and Keiji Mutoh – AKA The Great Muta – were in attendance and also joined him for a moment in the ring before ultimately Tetsuya Naito emerged as the last guest in the ring. 

But there were also a litany of stars who took to social media to celebrate Tanahashi's career as it wound down, including two-time WWE Women's Champion and Japanese wrestling icon in her own right, Iyo Sky. Sky took to social media ahead of his final match to say that she was one of a tremendous number of wrestlers to be inspired by him, making it clear she would be cheering him on from the USA.

"You have given wonderful influence to a tremendous number of pro wrestlers. I am one of them," she wrote. "The title of "Itsu-jo," bestowed upon me by Issai in an interview 11 years ago, is a lifelong treasure to me! #TanahashiRetirement. Cheering you on from America. GO!! ACE!!!!!"

Sky has long professed Tanahashi to have been one of her influences back when she was a part of STARDOM in Japan, having joined WWE in 2017. Shinsuke Nakamura and Kenta Kobashi were also among those supporting Tanahashi on social media in the hours ahead of his retirement. 

Comments

Recommended