From the beginning, there has only been one ace.
Since New Japan Pro Wrestling rechristened the Jan. 4 Tokyo Dome show in 2007 as Wrestle Kingdom, the one constant atop the card has been Hiroshi Tanahashi.
Known as “The Ace” of New Japan, Tanahashi stands alone as the premier star of Wrestle Kingdom. “Mr. Tokyo Dome” has worked all 14 shows, with the only quirk being last year’s two-night event, where he worked a must-see match against Chris Jericho on Jan. 5 instead of the traditional 4th. Throughout the first 14 editions of Wrestle Kingdom, Tanahashi has been the main event for the show on nine separate occasions, once even in an Intercontinental Championship bout against Shinsuke Nakamura that received top billing over the prestigious IWGP Heavyweight Championship match.