Tony Khan Addresses WWE And AEW Stars Appearing On Upcoming Shows

On January 1, 2023, WWE superstar Shinsuke Nakamura will be in a singles match against The Great Muta (Keiji Muto). The match will take place under the Pro Wrestling NOAH banner.

The news came as a surprise to fans and industry observers. Many wondered what this would mean for the relationship between AEW and NOAH. During an interview with "Sports Illustrated," Khan reacted to the news of a match between Nakamura and Muta.

"Yes, I have no problem with Nakamura working with them," Khan said. "It's completely cool with us. This is about Muta. It's great that wrestlers from all over the world can come together and pay tribute to Muta."

Former WCW manager Sonny Oono recently revealed that NOAH had concerns about preserving its relationship with AEW when the decision to bring Nakamura in for a match was made. Oono said there ended up being no objections from multiple parties.

AEW will be sending a major star to Japan as well. Sting is scheduled to team with The Great Muta in a six-man tag team match at Pro Wrestling NOAH's The Great Muta Final Bye-Bye event on January 22. Sting has said he's trying to get Darby Allin to be a part of the event as well.

Muta is in the midst of his retirement tour. Numerous promotions have gotten involved in his final days as a pro wrestler. Muta is set to have his final match under the New Japan Pro-Wrestling banner at the promotion's Historic X-Over event on November 20.