Riki Choshu To Retire On June 26

NJPW has announced that Riki Choshu will wrestle his last match on June 26 at an event that will air live in theaters in Japan. He will team with Shiro Koshinaka and Tomohiro Ishii to face Tatsumi Fujinami, Keiji Muto and Togi Makabe. Here’s a press release:

Tomohiro Ishii, Togi Makabe to join legends in Riki Choshu’s retirement match!

After nearly 50 years in professional wrestling, Riki Choshu will finally retire on June 26 at his self promoted Power Hall event in Korakuen Hall. Choshu had a retirement match on January 4 1998 in the Tokyo Dome, but a career resurgence as both a wrestler and promoter saw the living legend stay in the wrestling world for a further two decades.

His retirement match will take the form of an all star six man tag. Choshu will team up with Shiro Koshinaka and Tomohiro Ishii to face the combination of Tatsumi Fujinami, Keiji Muto and Togi Makabe.

Choshu and Fujinami have a rivalry that stretches back an incredible 37 years, ever since Choshu attacked ‘the Dragon’ and formed Ishin Gundan way back in 1982. In Ishii and Makabe is a battle of two men Choshu has mentored over the years; in the NJPW Dojo in Makabe’s case, and for Ishii, in Choshu’s own World Japan organization. Koshinaka and Muto round up a monumental six man tag team match. Tiger Hattori will referee to boot!

Korakuen Hall has completely sold out already in advance of the event, and plans have been set for live viewings in cinemas across Japan.