Hiroshi Tanahashi Recalls Wrestling Daniel Bryan: ‘He’s A Wrestler’s Wrestler’
Photo by New Japan Pro-Wrestling/Getty Images
New Japan Pro-Wrestling legend Hiroshi Tanahashi recently spoke with the company regarding his entire career, and one particular story that popped up was Tanahashi’s match with Daniel Bryan for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Tanahashi looked back fondly on it, calling the former Bryan Danielson great.
“I remember that match, in Kobe World Hall! Danielson was just such a wrestler’s wrestler,” Tanahashi said when asked about the match. “To the very model; an orthodox opening, moving onto rope work, progressively bringing in bigger moves. He’s younger than me, but I was able to learn so much by wrestling him.”
Tanahashi went on to praise Bryan, saying that he deserves to be one of the top guys in wrestling despite not being the tallest wrestler. “He’s great,” he said. “A smaller guy, but so strong, put together, and an expert on the mat. He wholly deserved to be a top guy.”
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