Hiroshi Tanahashi confirmed that he and Shinsuke Nakamura talked to one another about having one last match before his Wrestle Kingdom retirement.
Nakamura made his name in NJPW before signing with WWE in 2016, coming through the promotion's developmental process alongside Tanahashi and going on to become one of his most storied rivals. There had been some rumblings before Kazuchika Okada was officially announced as Tanahashi's last opponent that Nakamura could make a surprise appearance, as he has done with NOAH before, as the last opponent instead.
It had always been dismissed as a "pipe dream" considering WWE's competitive status with NJPW and its partners, AEW and CMLL. But Tanahashi confirmed, while speaking to Tokyo Sports ahead of Wrestle Kingdom, that they had talked about having another match but he would also allude to factors getting in the way.
"When Nakamura came to Japan I was talking about various things and we were saying that we wanted to do it one last time," he said, "but well, there are a lot of things going on."
Tanahashi said that another of his departed compatriots, Tetsuya Naito, who left NJPW to join NOAH last year, would likely be present at Wrestle Kingdom for the match.
"Nakamura was always my rival, and Naito joined New Japan because he liked Tanahashi," he continued. "I want them to think, 'I wasn't wrong.' I want them to think, 'I'm glad I was Tanahashi's rival,' and 'I'm glad I admired Tanahashi,' and I want all the fans to think, 'I'm glad I supported Tanahashi,' and I want it all to have a happy ending."
Tanahashi will be wrestling his last match in the main event of Sunday's Wrestle Kingdom event, facing Okada in front of what is set to be a sold-out Tokyo Dome.
