Browsing: Opponent

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As 2025 slowly draws to a close, the final wrestling match of Hiroshi Tanahashi’s career draws ever closer. The President of New Japan Pro Wrestling has been on a retirement tour for over a year at the time of writing, and that tour will conclude on January 4, 2026 at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20 at the Tokyo Dome. Tanahashi has faced off with some of the biggest names of all time, making the choice of who his final opponent will be even tougher, but in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer broke down the possibility of having Tanahashi face someone who knows Tanahashi very well, current WWE Superstar Shinsuke Nakamura.

Nakamura got the world talking during the recent tour of Japan that WWE embarked on as he did a lot of Tanahashi’s mannerisms in his matches, as well as shouting Tanahashi out in a post-match promo. Meltzer reiterated a point he had made a few days earlier by saying that Nakamura does have a clause in his WWE contract that allows him to work dates in Japan, but that him being Tanahashi’s final opponent is far from a done deal. Of course, WWE would have to approve any Japanese booking Nakamura takes, but that isn’t the part that complicates things, it’s the fact that NJPW currently has a working relationship with AEW, the largest competition to WWE.

Meltzer doesn’t believe that NJPW would book someone from WWE due to the AEW relationship, especially if there are any AEW wrestlers on the Wrestle Kingdom 20 card, which is very possible considering the current IWGP World Heavyweight Champion is AEW star Konosuke Takeshita. However, Meltzer believes that even though AEW wouldn’t be happy about a WWE Superstar being involved with a NJPW show, the importance of Tanahashi’s retirement to the fans and the man himself could make this match an exception to the rule. Meltzer rounded off by saying that the opponent should be revealed either at the “Final Homecoming” event in Tanahashi’s hometown of Gifu on November 2, or in the days following that event.

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SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…

SHOW SUMMARY:In this episode of “Everything with Rich Fann hosted by Wade Keller,” Wade and Rich discuss these topics:

• Could WWE use Andrade leverage to get AEW to gift Adam “Edge” Copeland to them for one last match against John Cena? How does Shinsuke Nakamura and New Japan fit into that?
• The Rise of Bron Breakker, but is there a ceiling he’s going to hit?
• Who will win between C.M. Punk and Jey Uso, and was there a better opponent for Punk in that battle royal?
• What if Dominik Mysterio won the battle royal and then beat C.M. Punk and became World Champion? Would fans push back that it was one step too far or could it be a breakout moment for WWE and Dom that fans rallied behind?
• Should Tony Khan utilize Chris Jericho again?
• Where does Jericho rank among all-time MVPs of AEW?
• Is it a good use of A.J. Styles to win the World Tag Team Titles with Dragon Lee after losing to John Cena?
• What kind of risk does AEW face if Warner Bros. Discover is sold?
• Plus: Hangman vs. The Opps, Mercedes and all her belts, fallout from Sarah Stock and Amanda Huber debating AEW’s affect on kids, the Augustus Glppp-ification of pro wrestling.
• And a fun finish: Creating a modern-day AEW cartoon out of current roster members to counter WWE pushing the old WWE cartoon series starting Hulk Hogan in the 1980s – and could it lead to a brand-split of sorts with AEW Saturday Morning wrestling?

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NJPW has internally discussed the possibility of bringing in a WWE superstar as Hiroshi Tanahashiâ€s final opponent.

Tanahashi announced his retirement plans at a press conference last year. His sendoff is scheduled for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20 on January 4, 2026.

The Ace has since faced both local and international competitors, traveling thousands of miles to team up with Darby Allin, The Golden Lovers, and Will Ospreay against The Death Riders, Gabe Kidd, and The Young Bucks at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door in August 2025.

While details regarding Tanahashiâ€s final opponent remain undisclosed, Fightful (via Fightful Select) recently reported that New Japan has held internal discussions about potentially bringing in WWE superstar Shinsuke Nakamura as Hiroshi Tanahashiâ€s opponent for his farewell match.

“Nakamura was discussed internally in NJPW as a potential option for Hiroshi Tanahashiâ€s retirement match, but itâ€s seen as a pipe dream.â€

The report also noted that despite it being a long shot, it was at least discussed by NJPW. Among the factors of it being unlikely, Shinsuke Nakamuraâ€s contract status could be an issue, as well as the matter of WWE even letting it happen. Nakamura is rumored to be up soon, but NJPW officials are under the impression that he re-signed last year. However, that remains unconfirmed.

It was also noted that if WWE did let it happen, there was speculation about how it might affect NJPWâ€s status with AEW and CMLL.

Shinsuke Nakamura gave a shoutout to Hiroshi Tanahashi at WWE event

Shinsuke Nakamura was Hiroshi Tanahashiâ€s biggest rival in NJPW before Kazuchika Okada took the mantle from his then–fellow CHAOS member. Nakamura shared his thoughts on Tanahashiâ€s retirement back in February.

“In todayâ€s world of professional wrestling, retiring at 48 years old may be a little early,†Shinsuke Nakamura said. “But we cannot measure the damage Tanahashi has endured, and he must also have responsibilities as president.â€

The King of Strong Style also gave a shoutout to The Ace during WWEâ€s recent tour of Japan, borrowing Tanaâ€s “Aishtemasu†(I love you) catchphrase following Nakamura and Jey Usoâ€s tag team match against Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed.

While wrestling fans would be eager to see Hiroshi Tanahashi face Shinsuke Nakamura one final time, the likelihood of the match happening remains slim due to Nakamuraâ€s WWE contract and New Japanâ€s ongoing working relationship with AEW.

Read More: Seth Rollins Stripped Of World Title, Plans To Crown New Champion Announced

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The Rules of Golf are tricky! Thankfully, we’ve got the guru. Our Rules Guy knows the book front to back. Got a question? He’s got all the answers.

I was playing in a tournament where a competitor would move his mark from behind his ball to about two inches to the side of the ball before putting. Only after the stroke would he pick up his marker. Is that legal? Does it matter if he’s using it as some kind guide versus just being lazy? – Jerry Cunningham, via email

Your darn tootin’, it matters!

By removing the marker, the player is doing what Rule 14.1 tells him and making sure the stroke isn’t made with the ball marker still in place.

But then, why place it to the side in a consistent manner? If he’s using it as some sort of swing aide unrelated to alignment, that would be a problem under Rule 4.3; the first time he made a stroke that way would be the general penalty and the second time, disqualification.

If he’s placing the marker there to help with alignment, aiming or in taking his stance, he would be in breach of Rule 10.2b(3) and get the general penalty each time. If he’s just being lazy, well, then he’s just being lazy.

For more marking guidance from our guru, read on …

Rules Guy: My playing partner’s ball collided with mine before I could mark. Now what?

By:

Rules Guy

I came up about five feet short of the green on my approach shot, and the grass was short enough that I decided to putt. The problem: My buddy had also come up short, three feet ahead of my ball, directly in my putting line. I asked him to mark his ball. He refused, saying that you aren’t allowed to mark your ball anywhere but on the green. I asked him to play first. He refused again, claiming the rules dictated the farther ball be played first, while also admitting that he didn’t want to give me a read. I ended up chipping over his ball. But was he correct about the marking? – Name withheld, via e-mail

Please let me introduce you and your rather uncharitable buddy (lawyer, perchance?) to Rule 15.3b, which states that if a ball is interfering with one’s play, you have the right to have it lifted anywhere on the course.

Once you have made this request, the other player is obligated to lift the ball; in stroke play, he or she has the choice to play first rather than lift. He or she may not, however, plead the fifth.

Want to find the right gear for your bag in 2025?Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

It probably wouldnâ€t happen, but speaking as a fan, Peter Rosenberg wants to see one of the Ruthless Aggression Eraâ€s biggest icons as John Cenaâ€s final opponent in WWE.

Cenaâ€s ultimate sendoff is set for WWE Saturday Nightâ€s Main Event on December 13. The GOAT reiterated that he wonâ€t be wrestling past his retirement date and encouraged fans to see him in action one final time in Washington, D.C.

WWE has yet to announce John Cenaâ€s final opponent. Gunther has reportedly been tipped to deliver the final chop to the Cenation Leader, while Dominik Mysterio has also expressed his willingness to “put the final nail†in Cenaâ€s coffin.

That said, WWE personality Peter Rosenberg believes a former superstar should face Cena at WWE SNME in December. During a recent appearance on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet, Rosenberg named Dave Bautista as the person heâ€d like to see end Cenaâ€s career for good.

“Because weâ€ve talked about all the people who make sense, and a name that just hasnâ€t gotten mentioned very much, itâ€s super unlikely, and Iâ€m probably reaching here, but when you think about what they represented a certain time, the last Saturday Nightâ€s Main Event happens to be in DC, if you hear this [plays Batistaâ€s theme].â€

When CVV said Dave gave his word he wonâ€t wrestle again, Rosenberg said he believes Bautista meant it, but he still selfishly would love to see it happen.

“So I think youâ€re right, and I think he meant that, and I respect that. I personally as a fan, and who cares what we think, itâ€s about what he wants in his life. But Iâ€m selfish, and Iâ€m a fan. Iâ€m not satisfied with the editing. I would love to see Batista one more time. I think thereâ€s more. I just think thereâ€s one more story to be told.â€

Rosenberg went on to note that Batista and Cena were always positioned as the two representatives of the Ruthless Aggression era. This includes on the SmackDown vs. RAW 2005 video game cover, so it would be fitting to see them finish up together.

John Cenaâ€s Peacemaker role was originally meant for Batista

John Cena has received massive praise for his performance in HBO Maxâ€s Peacemaker series. Cena played the titular character across two seasons. Although fans are eager for a third installment, showrunner James Gunn has confirmed that Peacemakerâ€s story will continue in the upcoming Man of Tomorrow movie.

Gunn previously revealed that he originally wrote the Peacemaker character with Dave Bautista in mind. The Animal had worked with Gunn on Marvelâ€s Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, where he portrayed Drax. Warner Bros. even offered the role of Peacemaker to Bautista, but the former WWE superstar turned it down due to other commitments.

“I wrote the character of Peacemaker for him, and we offered him the role, but [he] was offered two movies, and we werenâ€t paying him a lot, so he had to go where the money was,†James Gunn revealed on The Howard Stern Show.

During a recent episode of the official Peacemaker podcast, Gunn revealed John Cena learned to get tased for the show. Fans can read his full comments here.

Also read: Top WWE Star Makes Bold Claim About John Cenaâ€s Final Match

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AEW/Triller TV

Samoa Joe and The Opps retained the AEW World Trios Championship in the main event of Wednesday’s “AEW Dynamite” portion of the three-hour broadcast, with Samoa Joe submitting Dralistico in front of his WrestleDream opponent for the World Championship.Â

The Opps, Joe, Katsuyori Shibata, and Powerhouse Hobbs, were defending their titles for the fourth time in their 183-day reign against LFI’s Rush, Dralistico, and The Beast Mortos, while World Champion “Hangman” Adam Page sat on commentary for the bout; Page will defend his title against Joe during this weekend’s WrestleDream event, with things getting heated between them after they had teamed up to oust the Death Riders.Â

The match itself saw back-and-forth action prior to the closing stretch, with all three of the Opps getting their digs in before Joe finally tagged in, dropping Dralistico with a powerslam before locking in the Coquina Clutch to secure the win.Â

After the bell, LFI attacked the champions before they had a chance to celebrate. Page then got involved, fighting Mortos off and looking for the Buckshot Lariat to Rush, but Sammy Guevara pulled him from the ring before Page could deliver the move. Joe then picked up the World Championship belt, handing it off to Page with force before walking off with his teammates to close the segment.Â

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LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers have punched their ticket to the National League Championship Series. But as they await the winner of Game 5 between the Brewers and Cubs on Saturday to find out who their opponent will be, the question arises: Who should Dodgers fans be rooting to play against?

It didnâ€t go well for the Dodgers in the regular season against either team. They were swept by the Brewers in six games in 2025 but aside from a 9-1 series-opening blowout on July 7, each matchup was decided by two runs or less.

In the two series between L.A. and Milwaukee in July, the Dodgers struggled offensively. The bats collectively slashed .179/.245/.301 while their pitchers posted a cumulative 4.30 ERA. Against the Cubs, the offense was slightly better; they averaged .230 at the plate and their OPS jumped up from a horrid .546 to a bad — but not as bad — .697. The Dodgers†ERA against the North Siders in seven games was 5.95, but a pair of high-scoring games inflates this number.

The Cubs would also represent something of a full circle moment; the two teams opened the season against each other in the Tokyo Series from March 18-19. The Dodgers came out on top in both of those games, but the Cubs went on to win four of their last five meetings, all of which were within a two-week span in April.

Let’s look outside of the limited sample sizes that the Dodgers saw from the two NL Central teams. The Cubs are the more powerful team. They boasted the seventh-highest average exit velocity in the big leagues this season at 89.4 mph and the second-farthest average distance (187 ft) and launch angle (18 degrees). Theyâ€ve kept that going in the postseason, too. Fifteen of their 22 runs this October have come via the long ball.

Former highly-ranked Dodgers prospect Michael Busch has been the catalyst for much of the Cubs†success after falling behind 0-2 early in the series. His four homers this postseason leads all players, and heâ€s hit 6-for-18 in his last five playoff games. Kyle Tuckerâ€s also gotten hot; heâ€s reached base safely in seven of his last nine plate appearances and went deep in Game 4 for his first postseason home run since the 2022 World Series.

The Brewers donâ€t rely on power as much as the Cubs; their average exit velocity is in the bottom 7% of the big leagues while their barrel rate is in the bottom 3%. During their three-game sweep of the Dodgers in late July, manager Pat Murphy aptly described his team as “a bunch of woodpeckers … pecking away ‘til they say the gameâ€s over.â€

But as far as rising stars, Jackson Chourioâ€s already showing he has the makings of one in his short postseason career. In his first seven career playoff games, Chourio is batting .462 with two doubles, three homers, nine RBIs and a 1.366 OPS.

And donâ€t forget about Freddy Peralta, who earned his second career All-Star nod this season and led the NL in wins. He also threw 176 2/3 innings, was top-10 in strikeouts (204) and ranked fourth with a 2.70 ERA.

If the Dodgers were to face the Brewers, it would be a rematch of the 2018 NLCS, when the Dodgers beat the Brew Crew in seven games to advance to their second consecutive World Series. Also worth noting: The Brewers have lost their last five potential clinching games in the postseason, dating back to Game 7 of that series.

Since then, theyâ€ve lost in the 2019 Wild Card Game and made first-round exits in 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024. The Brewers are 3-10 all-time in potential clinching games in the postseason, the lowest rate by any MLB franchise.

The Dodgers also have plenty of recent October history with the Cubs from their NLCS clashes in 2016, which the Cubs won in six en route to breaking their 108-year World Series drought, and a year later when the Dodgers got back at them in 2017.

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John Cena’s retirement match is on the horizon, and rumors have emerged regarding how his final opponent will be determined.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News) reported this week that plans are in place for WWE to announce a tournament with the winner earning the right to face Cena in his last match at the Dec. 13 edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event in Washington, D.C.

Meltzer added that multiple people with knowledge of the plans have confirmed that Gunther will win the tournament and go on to clash with Cena in December.

Assuming those plans come to fruition, here is a projected eight-man tournament that could realistically be booked to determine Cena’s final foe.

Rusev def. Dominik Mysterio

Carmelo Hayes def. The Miz

Drew McIntyre def. Jacob Fatu

Drew McIntyre def. Carmelo Hayes

Gunther def. Drew McIntyre

The aforementioned bracket features a combination of Cena’s rivals from the past such as The Miz, Rusev and Sheamus, and possible dream opponents like Gunther, Carmelo Hayes and Jacob Fatu.

Most of the first-round matchups are tie-ins to existing rivalries, as Rusev and Dominik Mysterio recently did battle over the Intercontinental Championship, The Miz and Hayes split up as a team and Fatu confronted Drew McIntyre on SmackDown.

The third first-round matchup would be a showdown between old rivals in Gunther and Sheamus, who have faced off in many hard-hitting matches over the years.

In this scenario, the semifinals would include a first-time-ever match between Gunther and Rusev that would perhaps be just as physical as Gunther vs. Sheamus, and the first singles match between an established veteran in McIntyre and an up-and-coming star in Hayes.

After a clean win by Gunther and The Miz costing Hayes in his semifinal, the tournament would come down to Gunther and McIntyre, who feuded with each over the Intercontinental Championship in 2023.

Either Gunther or McIntyre would be a strong pick as Cena’s final opponent, but given that Cena has never faced Gunther before, The Ring General gets the nod.

Gunther retired WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg on an episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event earlier this year, and he will have the opportunity to do the same to Cena.

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John Cena wishes an alternate universe existed where he and Andre the Giant could have faced each other.

Along with his WWE retirement tour, Cena has been appearing at Fan Expo conventions this year and taking part in Q&A sessions with fans. One of those events took place in Chicago this summer with the video being uploaded to YouTube this week. A fan asked Cena who he would choose to face in the main event of WrestleMania if he could go back in time and pick anyone from wrestling history.

“Just selfishly, Andre, because he was like the measuring stick,” Cena responded. “The folklore behind Andre the Giant is mythical, in both physical as his presence but also in like the folklore of the fraternity of the brotherhood of wrestling, especially the WWF territory. I’m sure it’s across the world, because Andre was a global phenomenon. But, selfishly, yes, that would be the one: Andre the Giant.”

Cena competed in his last-ever WrestleMania earlier this year, defeating Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 41. Cena later dropped the title back to Rhodes at SummerSlam.

There are only five WWE appearances remaining before Cena retires. Next up is a trip to Australia for Crown Jewel: Perth this Saturday, where Cena will face off against an old rival in AJ Styles.

Cena’s last match will be held in Washington, D.C. on December 13 on WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event. It’s expected that Gunther will be his final opponent.

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WWE reportedly has made a decision for the final opponent of John Cena’s historic career.

Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Gunther has been tabbed as Cena’s opponent for his farewell match on Dec. 13 at Saturday Night’s Main Event in Washington, D.C.

“Multiple sources over the last two days have confirmed the name and the WWE internal listing for the Saturday Night Main Event at this point lists that as the only match on the show,” Meltzer wrote (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News). “Two sources have confirmed that the latest plan is for a tournament to be announced, possibly on the air by Paul Levesque, with top wrestlers vying to be Cena’s last opponent. But multiple have confirmed however it reaches the conclusion, that Gunther was the person chosen for the match.”

Gunther is a two-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion. He hasn’t been seen since his second title reign ended with a loss to CM Punk at the SummerSlam premium live event in August.

Known for his brutal, hard-hitting style, Gunther is widely regarded as one of the best heels in the business. He quickly established himself as one of the faces of the current generation, and being Cena’s final opponent shows how much the company values him.

Cena is set to close the book on his iconic wrestling career this winter, and passing the torch to Gunther will be a spectacular way to go out.

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