Possible reason why WWE allowed Shinsuke Nakamura to face The Great Muta
This week WWE lit up the wrestling world when it was announced that Shinsuke Nakamura will be competing outside the company.
This week, Japanese wrestling promotion Pro Wrestling NOAH announced that WWE star Shinsuke Nakamura will be the special opponent for the legendary Great Muta. The encounter will emanate from the iconic Budokan Hall in Tokyo on January 1, 2023.
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio mentioned that WWE was making certain exceptions to allow Nakamura to compete at the event. He stated that Muta was regarded as a legend, and Triple H was okay with Nakamura being one of his last opponents.
"There’s two things it could be. Number one, WWE with the new regime is allowing guys to do it. It will never be a lot of guys but, maybe guys who request, 'Hey maybe let me do something special outside the [United] States with another company, or you know just something really special.' They said, 'Okay, do it.' Also that Muta, because such a legend and it’s his final matches, and it’s like, 'Hey I can do one of his last matches.' Everyone who comes from Triple H’s generation, you know Muta was a legend, and he was a big star before and a legend in Japan. I think, maybe it’s just kinda something that’s real special, and they’ll let him do it. It was still a surprise," said Meltzer. [H/T Ringside News]
Shinsuke Nakamura helped Hit Row this week on SmackDown
The King of Strong Style returned to the blue brand this week as the mystery partner for Hit Row.
#HitRow enlists @ShinsukeN as their partner in battle against #LegadodelFantasma.
#SmackDown https://t.co/IxgRjB9aBn
The faction was a man short in their six-man tag team match against Legado Del Fantasmo. However, Shinsuke Nakamura returned to even the odds. Nakamura helped Hit Row win the matchup as he planted Santos Escobar with the Kinshasa.
The former Intercontinental Champion recently returned to NXT, where he defeated Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo. Nakamura is currently rumored to be making more appearances on the black-and-gold brand.
Do you think Nakamura's appearance will allow more WWE talent to compete outside the company? Let us know in the comments section below.