The variety show "Kaiun! Nandemo Kanteidan" (TV Tokyo, Tuesdays at 8:54 PM), hosted by talent Koji Imada, freelance announcer Akira Fukuzawa, and former Sakurazaka46 member Yuka Sugai, aired a 3-hour and 45-minute special on March 24th. In this special, the costume worn by former professional wrestler Hiroshi Tanahashi in his retirement match received a shocking appraisal.
On this day, under the title "Heisei-era Star Treasure Appraisal Competition," female professional wrestler Saya Kamitani, known as the "Reiwa Evil Queen," made an appearance. She brought Hiroshi Tanahashi's gown, ring shoes, tights, and knee pads as treasures.
Tanahashi, who was called a "once-in-a-century talent," retired from active competition on January 4th of this year. Kamitani expressed her admiration for Tanahashi, saying, "He was loved by people of all ages, his moves were cool, he had an incredible aura, and he was a star wrestler that everyone looked up to."
Kamiya's own estimated value was a confident "7 million yen," but the appraisal result was "8 million yen," an increase of 1 million yen. Everyone rose to their feet, and a huge round of applause erupted from the studio.
Takashi Izumi, the director of the Toudoukan dojo who conducted the appraisal, described the costume as a treasure that will go down in professional wrestling history, saying, "It represents the pinnacle of an era for Hiroshi Tanahashi. It's a costume made just for his retirement match, but it established his hero style based on white. Hiroshi Tanahashi was said to be a once-in-a-century talent. At the very end of his career, he proved that he was loved by many fans and built an era by filling the Tokyo Dome to capacity. I think it's something that should be preserved for generations to come."
