Shinsuke Nakamura is set for a dream match with Great Muta (Picture: WWE)
WWE superstar Shinsuke Nakamura will be allowed to face Great Muta in a bona fide dream match in Japan on New Year’s Day.
The former Intercontinental Champion – who is contracted to WWE on the SmackDown brand – has been announced for a Pro Wrestling NOAH show and he’ll be part of the company’s The New Year 2023 event on January 1.
The special bout will be part of Muta’s retirement tour as the legendary star – whose real name is Keiji Muto – prepares to hang up his boots with a final match as Great Muta set for January 22, and then his official retirement on February 21 at the Tokyo Dome.
NOAH announced the shocking news over the weekend, hailing the bout as ‘pro wrestling’s biggest dream match’.
Nakamura himself added: ‘This is Miracle. (sic)’
Fans and fellow pros alike are stunned by the news, which comes after decades of WWE typically not being too forthcoming regarding its performers actually wrestling for other promotions.
Great Muta and Shinsuke Nakamura will face off under the NOAH banner (Picture: Pro Wrestling NOAH)
There is actually some recent precedent with WWE and NOAH from Vince McMahon’s era in charge, with KENTA – then working on WWE’s 205 Live brand as Hideo Itami – appearing on the company’s Naomichi Marufuji 20th Anniversary Show.
However, the idea of a main roster star – who is featured on SmackDown, and appeared on Friday’s episode alongside Hit Row in a win over Legado del Fantasma – doing something like this is going to take some getting used to.
Even Hit Row’s Top Dolla was surprised by the announcement, as he tweeted: ‘Literally had to ask Shin on the bus just now cuz I didn’t believe it… this is amazing.’
WWE has appeared to slightly relax the way it looks at other companies, with Mickie James making an appearance in the Royal Rumble earlier this year while being recognised as IMPACT Wrestling Knockouts champion, and SmackDown commentator Michael Cole has started making references to stars’ careers before WWE.
Back in 2020, Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque – who has since become the company’s chief content officer while leading the charge for creative and talent relations – insisted even then that collaborations with other companies isn’t out of the question.
‘People’s thoughts, misperceptions, they’re perceived knowledge of what we do, how we think, is often greatly misinterpreted and not necessarily accurate,’ he told Metroc.co.uk.
‘Are we open to the right business opportunities? Yeah, at any given time we’re open to things. It depends on what they are, are they beneficial to us for the long term?’
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