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A top wrestling veteran recently addressed Jon Moxley's reign as the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion and he has talked about what could happen should someone dethrone him. This would be Hiroshi Tanahashi.
Tanahashi has been in the industry for two and a half decades now, and has one of the best resumé's in NJPW, being an 8-time world champion. He also now stands as the President of the Japanese promotion aside from being an in-ring competitor.
During a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Hiroshi Tanahashi talked about how an outsider like Jon Moxley was now their world champion. This was not the first time this has happened, and he claimed that this will bring a spotlight on whoever can dethrone him.
“This isn’t the first time that the top title has been worn by an outsider. Whoever can take it off Moxley will have a big spotlight on them, and I hope they make the most of it," Tanahashi said. [H/T - Fightful]
Who have Jon Moxley's recent contenders been?
The former WWE Superstar has already had two successful title defenses since becoming the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion last month.
Almost two weeks after winning the title, he put it on the line against Powerhouse Hobbs on AEW Dynamite. Despite a great showing from the challenger, he was eventually choked out by Mox, which marked his first successful title defense. It was then reported that Hobbs had suffered a legitimate injury during the match and needed surgery for this.
Just over this past weekend, Jon Moxley put his title on the line against Ren Narita at NJPW's Wrestling Dontaku event. The former AEW World Champion was again successful against the House of Torture member.
Another major figure now that could be a potential challenger is Konosuke Takeshita. After Hobbs lost to Mox, The Alpha came out and was seemingly interested in the title. He has never captured a title at NJPW, as he made a name for himself in DDT Pro-Wrestling, another well-known Japanese promotion.
Jon Moxley may have his hands full with holding on to his gold, and it remains to be seen whether he'll be successful in putting away his next possible challenger, Takeshita. He still stands as the only man to hold a world title in WWE, AEW, and NJPW.
