Shinsuke Nakamura Had Interest In Being Hiroshi Tanahashi’s Final Opponent
By Craig Ballantyne on 10 November 2025
Shinsuke Nakamura was reportedly interested in facing Hiroshi Tanahashi for The Ace’s last match on January 4th.
Ever since NJPW legend Hiroshi Tanahashi announced his plans to retire after Wrestle Kingdom 20 on January 4th, 2026, fans have been hoping for a dream final encounter with Shinsuke Nakamura.
Tanahashi and Nakamura’s rivalry in New Japan was one of the greatest in the company’s history and helped the company’s revival in the modern era. The pair faced off numerous times and over multiple titles between 2003 and Nakamura’s departure for WWE in 2016. The last time the two wrestled in singles action was over a decade ago, with Tanahashi defeating Nakamura in the final of that year’s G1 Climax Tournament.
With that history, many NJPW fans were hoping to see The Ace take on the King of Strong Style one more time. However, it was confirmed on November 8th that another major rival will battle Tanahashi at the Tokyo Dome, AEW’s Kazuchika Okada.
Shinsuke Nakamura Gave A Nod To Hiroshi Tanahashi At Recent WWE Show
On the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that Nakamura did have interest in the match, confirming that his use of Tanahashi’s catchphrase at a recent WWE show in Japan was a deliberate callback.
“Nakamura was interested in doing it. I don’t know what happened. There’s a lot of stories going around. The only thing I know is that he obviously was interested because he did that thing a couple of weeks (at WWE’s Tokyo live event).”
It’s currently unclear why the match didn’t come together, but AEW’s relationship with NJPW was likely a factor in the decision. Nakamura has wrestled in another Japanese promotion in recent years, with two matches in Pro Wrestling NOAH, including at this year’s New Year show, something Meltzer says is covered in his WWE contract.
“I remember asking about it at the time from WWE and they just said that there’s no deal. But he does have something in his contract that he can do stuff, but they still have to approve it. So I don’t know where that stood or how it fell apart.”
Would you have liked to see Shinsuke Nakamura face Hiroshi Tanahashi one more time? Or is Kazuchika Okada the better opponent for his retirement match? Let us know your thoughts below!
H/T to F4WOnline.com for the above transcription.