Shinsuke Nakamura has been a member of the WWE roster for years, but it’s probably safe to say that wrestling fans in Japan miss seeing him live. Nakamura will be returning to Japan at the upcoming Pro Wrestling NOAH event on January 1st where he will face The Great Muta.
Recently Shinsuke Nakamura spoke to Yahoo Sports about the match and he noted that he originally turned the offer down. However, once Vince McMahon retired everything changed.
“I was like, “No way. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t think it would happen. It was something that would never have happened under the previous structure of the WWE. Noah came to me with the idea, and we discussed it, but my answer was no. Vince (McMahon, Chairman and CEO of WWE) 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 (WWE’s vice president). When the decision was actually made, I was shaken.”
“There was a big change in the WWE between when Mutoh announced his retirement and when the match was decided. Vince, who was the symbol of everything, was retiring, and that was something that no one could believe. Everything changes in America when the top changes. At that time, there was a feeling that many things would change in the future. One of the changes that occurred to me was this. The fact that ‘no’ became ‘yes’ gave me a boost.”
Stay tuned for more updates on Shinsuke Nakamura’s match with The Great Muta as they become available.
[…] December 30. He will then face the Great Muta during the Pro Wrestling New Year show on January 1. Nakamura recently talked about the match and he explained how he went through the process of getting it approved by WWE […]