[PHOTO] 22-time champion spotted with Shinsuke Nakamura in Los Angeles amid his WWE absence

Shinsuke Nakamura has been absent from WWE since January 2023. His last match with the company was at a live event where he teamed up with Braun Strowman and Madcap Moss.

Amid his current absence, Nakamura was recently spotted with Hiroshi Tanahashi. The two men are no strangers to one another, having worked closely during their days at New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Tanahashi, who is a 22-time champion in NJPW, recently arrived in the US ahead of IMPACT x NJPW Multiverse United and Ring of Honor: Supercard of Honor. He caught up with The King of Strong Style for lunch and took to Twitter to share photos of the two, with a simple caption:

"Lunch with Nakamura #losangeles," tweeted Tanahashi.

Check out Hiroshi Tanahashi's tweet:

Lunch with Nakamura🍜 #losangeles https://t.co/lGxjQePtqX

At Multiverse United, Tanahashi will face Mike Bailey as he is set to replace the injured Will Ospreay. The Ace will be in action against Daniel Garcia at Supercard of Honor.

Shinsuke Nakamura had a historic match against The Great Muta this year

Earlier this year, Shinsuke Nakamura was permitted to compete outside of WWE under the Pro Wrestling NOAH banner.

Muta, who will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year, had a series of farewell matches with one of them being against Nakamura at NOAH The New Year 2023. The Japanese legend also went up against Tetsuya Naito and Masahiro Chono in the final two matches of his illustrious career.

YEAOH!! https://t.co/X75FDBhUYF

Nakamura, meanwhile, has competed only twice in WWE since returning from Japan. However, both of his matches were at live events and were not televised. He even missed this year's Royal Rumble premium live event and wasn't a part of the 30-Man Rumble Match.

It remains to be seen if Triple H has any big plans to bring the former United States Champion back after WrestleMania 39.

Will The King of Strong Style return post-WrestleMania 39? Sound off in the comment section below!