Outgoing NJPW President says Hiroshi Tanahashi will 'create the best NJPW ever'

Outgoing NJPW President Takami Ohbari has posted a statement addressing his departure from the promotion.

On Friday night, NJPW shared the surprising announcement that Hiroshi Tanahashi has been named the promotion's new president and representative director. Ohbari stepped down from the roles effective December 23.

Tanahashi, one of NJPW's greatest wrestlers of all time, is an eight-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion. He currently holds the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team titles with Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii.

A press conference to address NJPW's management changes will be held on December 26. Hitoshi Matsumoto (Chief of Business Production, TV Asahi) and Taro Okada (President & CEO, Bushiroad Fight) have been named directors of NJPW. It was noted that Taro Okada's position is a part-time one.

Michiaki Nishizawa has resigned from his director position.

Ohbari made a social media post on Saturday following his resignation. Ohbari said there's no doubt that, as president, Tanahashi will create the best NJPW ever.

Ohbari will be at the December 26 press conference to thank everyone. His full statement can be read below:

For our international fans,

Today, I resigned from the roles as president of NJPW and NJPW of America, and, as you know, our 'ACE' Tanahashi-san just took over my roles.

As he has fan's, wrestler’s, and management perspectives, there is no doubt that he will create the best NJPW ever.

I spent five years with NJPW, and as its president 3 years and two months. My management started from the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic, when cheering, the number of attendance, and many other key factors for both fans' and wrestlers' motivation were strictly restricted by the government. People out of Japan might not be able to imagine how despairing environment it was.

As our traditional business model collapsed quickly, I focused on prevention of COVID-19 and cost reductions first. To adapt to this changing external environment, I put all my efforts to modify the old system, to create new businesses, and to accelerate the globalization. Honestly, most of the time I had felt 'pains of birth'.

However, whenever I went to the venues in Japan and overseas, I always received huge encouragement from our fans like you and wrestlers, which motivated me to do my best again. Through this cycle, which might be called 'STRONG STYLE', we managed to recover our business to the level that almost hits the record high.

All the new president, Tanahashi-san, to do is to easily surpass the record and make a much brighter future of NJPW. I know everything is prepared.

Although I left NJPW and will leave Bushiroad quite soon, I would like to once again thank everyone at the press conference on December 26.

See you then!