Pro Wrestling NOAH has announced that WWE’s Shinsuke Nakamura would face off against the Great Muta at their The New Year 2023 event from Nippon Budokan on New Year’s Day.
The match is part of Keiji Mutoh’s farewell tour. It came as a surprise because WWE usually does not allow talent to work for other promotions unless a deal is reached.
Dominic DeAngelo of Wrestling Inc. has provided some additional insight into the stages of negotiation that led to this match being made.
Triple H himself contacted NOAH to inquire whether the opportunity with Muta was still available. Sonny Oono also assisted in facilitating these discussions.
Speaking with Wrestling Inc, Oono noted that maintaining their newly established relationship with AEW was a priority for NOAH while talking with WWE.
“Noah wanted to protect the newly developing relationship with AEW. I made sure they were no objections from various promotions.”
Nakamura revealed that there was pushback on WWE’s end during initial discussions, but a deal was reached.
