Tanahashi vs. Takeshita official for NJPW Windy City Riot

Hiroshi Tanahashi will indeed meet Konosuke Takeshita in what is being billed as “The Ace’s” final match in the United States.

NJPW officially announced the first matches for its Friday, April 11 Windy City Riot event in Chicago, including Tanahashi vs. Takeshita. The match was first teased at last Saturday’s Battle in the Valley event, with Takeshita issuing a challenge to Tanahashi. NJPW confirmed the bout in a post on its website Wednesday night.

Tanahashi, who also serves as NJPW president, has announced his retirement, with his final bout currently slated for Wrestle Kingdom 20 in the Tokyo Dome next January.

Also official for Chicago, Gabe Kidd will defend the NJPW Strong Openweight Championship against Tomohiro Ishii in a 30-minute Ironman match.

Similarly, Kidd issued the challenge to Ishii at Battle in the Valley after the two opened the main card with a time limit draw, and the match was confirmed Wednesday.

The NJPW Windy City Riot card for Friday, April 11:

• Hiroshi Tanahashi’s US farewell match: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Konosuke Takeshita
• NJPW Strong Openweight Champion Gabe Kidd defends against Tomohiro Ishii in a 30-minute Ironman match