AEW star shares a photo with Shinsuke Nakamura following his triumphant return at non-WWE event
WWE star Shinsuke Nakamura made a grand return to Japan when he faced the Great Muta at the NOAH New Year 2023 show at the Nippon Budokan arena in Tokyo. AEW star Matt Hardy shared a picture with the King of Strong Style following the match.
WWE took a big step in October 2022 when they announced that Shinsuke Nakamura would be allowed to face The Great Muta at the Nippon Budokan for a NOAH show. The former United States Champion has long been a member of the SmackDown roster but is currently not involved in any major storyline.
The former Intercontinental Champion made a grand entrance for the match and went on to remind fans exactly what made him so special. The match that followed was tremendous as well, with Nakamura picking up the win after spraying green mist on the Great Muta's face and delivering a Kinshasa.
Following the event, AEW star Matt Hardy posted a picture with the Japanese WWE star on his Twitter.
https://t.co/dtB3vI9llk
Matt Hardy is currently with AEW. He joined the promotion in 2020 with the 'Broken' gimmick he made famous in TNA (now IMPACT) Wrestling.
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Shinsuke Nakamura discussed getting WWE's approval for the Great Muta match
As discussed previously, Vince McMahon was not a fan of getting involved with other wrestling promotions. Shinsuke Nakamura discussed how the match came to be after McMahon retired from the company and Triple H took over as Chief Content Officer.
He added that when The Game gave Nakamura the green light to return to Japan, he was shaken.
"Noah came to me with the idea, and we discussed it, but my answer was no. Vince [McMahon] stepped down in the summer, and I was advised by people within the company that it might be possible now. I still thought it would be difficult, but I even talked directly to Triple H. When the decision was actually made, I was shaken," Shinsuke Nakamura shared. [H/T - Fightful]
SHINSUKE NAKAMURA PLANTS HIS LIPS ON GREAT MUTA & EXTRACTS THE POISON MIST!
NAKAMURA USES MUTA’s OWN MIST AGAINST HIM!
#noah_ghc #byebyeMUTA
https://t.co/Mvt6d7PEPc
Prior to the match against the Great Muta, Nakamura's last televised appearance for the company saw him lose to Santos Escobar on SmackDown back in November. It will be interesting to see how Triple H uses him after such a grand event.
What did you make of Shinsuke Nakamura returning to Japan while under WWE? Let us know in the comments section below.