Shinsuke Nakamura Defeats Japanese Legend At Pro Wrestling NOAH Event

A dream match between two Japanese legends finally culminated on January 1.

As first reported on October 30, WWE opened the door for a rare and "forbidden" opportunity for one of their contracted superstars to wrestle outside of company territory. Accordingly, former Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura stepped up to take on Keiji Muto.

Under Muto's moniker of The Great Muta, the two met in the main event of Pro Wrestling NOAH's The New Year 2023 show. Muta and Nakamura delivered a memorable performance, battling for over 18 minutes. At one point, Muta stunned Nakamura with a spray of poison mist to his face, but Nakamura later returned the favor, blasting green mist at his opponent. This brief moment allowed Nakamura to then land his signature Kinshasa to gain the pinfall victory over Muta.

Nakamura previously admitted his reaction of shock when the match got approved by Paul "Triple H" Levesque and the current WWE regime — something he believed was impossible under the previous direction of Vince McMahon. In a similar fashion, WWE has still allowed Karl Anderson to appear at New Japan Pro Wrestling's Wrestle Kingdom 17 on January 4, a commitment that was planned before his re-signing with the company. 

Muta's bout with Nakamura, though, marked one of his last ever, as he begins to wind down his career with the remaining dates on his retirement tour. The final stop will take place at the Great Muta Final "Bye-Bye" event on January 22. There, he will team with AEW's Darby Allin and long-time friend and foe, Sting, in a six-man tag team match.