Shinsuke Nakamura’s name has reportedly been mentioned in New Japan Pro Wrestling discussions.
At Wrestle Kingdom 20, the legendary career of Hiroshi Tanahashi will come to an end, and speculation is mounting over who may be standing across the ring from ‘The Ace’ in his final match. While there is a plethora of New Japan talent to choose from, some have floated the idea of WWE’s Shinsuke Nakamura being the one to face the retiring star on January 4. Now, it appears that this is something that has been considered by New Japan.
In a new update from Fightful Select, it’s believed that Shinsuke Nakamura has been discussed internally as a possible opponent for Hiroshi Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom 20, although the idea has been described as a ‘pipe dream’.
“Fightful Select learned recently that Shinsuke Nakamura’s name was discussed internally in New Japan Pro Wrestling as a possibility to face Hiroshi Tanahashi in his retirement match. However, based on what we heard, that was floated more as a pipe dream than anything else. We can confirm that it was brought up, though.”
-Fightful Select
Per the report, those within NJPW are not confident about securing Nakamura due to concerns over how using a WWE talent could impact their relationships with AEW and CMLL. There is also uncertainty surrounding Nakamura’s contract status, as sources within New Japan reportedly believe the 45-year-old signed a new deal with WWE last year, although Fightful note that they have been unable to confirm this.
Should Nakamura be the one to face Tanahashi, it would mark his first match for the company since 2016. However, it is worth noting that he made a one-off appearance at NOAH The New Year in 2023, where he faced Great Muta.
In addition to Tanahashi’s retirement match, fans can also look forward to EVIL taking on the debuting Aaron Wolf at Wrestle Kingdom 20, marking the 29-year-old Olympic gold medallist’s first professional wrestling match.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on Shinsuke Nakamura possibly returning to New Japan Pro Wrestling as soon as we hear more.
