Hiroshi Tanahashi Beats Kenny Omega to Win IWGP Heavyweight Title at WK 13

Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Kenny Omega in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 13 at the Tokyo Dome on Friday to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for the eighth time in his career.

Friday's bout was a huge one since it pitted one of wrestling's hottest stars in Omega against one of the most successful competitors New Japan Pro-Wrestling has ever seen in Tanahashi.

Omega beat Kazuchika Okada to win the IWGP heavyweight title at Dominion in June after falling short on previous occasions. While many thought a rematch with Okada or a clash with Golden Lovers tag team partner Kota Ibushi could be in store at Wrestle Kingdom, Tanahashi played spoiler by beating Ibushi to win the G1 Climax 28.

Tanahashi went on to successfully defend his title shot against Okada and Jay White, which set the stage for his showdown with Omega.

While Omega entered Wrestle Kingdom in the midst of his first reign as New Japan's top champion, the 42-year-old Tanahashi brought a legendary resume with him.

In addition to being an eight-time IWGP heavyweight champion, Tanahashi has held the IWGP Intercontinental and Tag Team Championships on multiple occasions.

Omega has had no shortage of incredible matches and significant challenges throughout his career, but it can be argued that facing Tanahashi in the main event at the Tokyo Dome overshadowed everything else.

There was plenty of uncertainty regarding the result of Friday's match because of the notion that Omega could make the leap to WWE at any time.

Losing the title to Tanahashi will undoubtedly lead to even more speculation about Omega leaving New Japan, although nothing is known for sure about his status publicly.

Tanahashi didn't necessarily need to win the title given everything he has accomplished already in his career, but there is little doubt that he can carry it effectively moving forward.

If Omega does leave the company, there will be plenty of possible contenders looking to step into his spot, including the likes of Okada, Ibushi, White and Tetsuya Naito, among others.

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