Shinsuke Nakamura's WWE Contract Status Amid Talks Of Hiroshi Tanahashi's Last Match

It's been a bit more than ten years since New Japan Pro Wrestling's "Ace" Hiroshi Tanahashi and the King of Strong Style Shinsuke Nakamura have wrestled against each other.

With 11 IWGP Heavyweight Championship reigns between them, it'd be an absolute dream come true for wrestling fans everywhere to see the two Japanese superstars clash inside the Tokyo Dome again.

But according to the most recent report, however, it looks like the discussions within NJPW are just dreams.

Hiroshi Tanahashi reached 100 G1 Climax wins by defeating Yota Tsuji on night 11 of G1 Climax 35. | New Japan Pro-Wrestling

What gets in the way of the match happening

The last time these two NJPW legends faced off in a one-on-one match was a decade ago when they wrestled in the finals of another grueling G1 Climax tournament. Tanahashi was victorious while Nakamura signed with WWE less than six months later.

As cool as it would be to see the rivals clash on a grand stage again, there's a lot of uncertainty surrounding Nakamura's actual status with WWE. Fightful Select reports that while it is confirmed Nakamura was discussed as Tanahashi's last opponent, there was a lot of internal skepticism on the possibility it happens for a variety of reasons.

WWE giving the unlikely greenlight to this match would not be all that's needed to make the match official. NJPW officials also discussed how an announcement like that would affect their working relationship with AEW and AAA's competitor in Mexico, CMLL, who AEW also has a working relationship with. The companies collaborate closely, most notably with the annual Forbidden Door pay-per-view.

Shinsuke Nakamura — Hali Tauxe / IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Is Shinsuke available to wrestle outside of WWE?

NJPW is not outlandish to think Nakamura could wrestle outside of WWE while under contract with WWE. The former Royal Rumble winner has wrestled twice outside of WWE since 2023. Before TKO took over in September 2023, Nakamura faced WWE Hall of Famer The Great Muta in January 2023.

Two years later, TKO permitted him to compete in NOAH again. In January 2025, Nakamura wrestled Ulka Sasaki in a winning effort. It's not out of the realm of possibility for WWE to allow Nakamura to venture outside of the company again, but this time it might be less likely.

While Fightful has been tracking Nakamura's contract status and its potential expiration, NJPW officials believe he re-signed with WWE just last year ahead of his match with Sasaki.

The latest on Shinsuke Nakamura

Nakamura was last seen on WWE TV when he wrestled for the United States Championship on the October 10 edition of Friday Night Smackdown to a No Contest. Since then, he joined WWE's Super Show house show tour in Japan.

Nakamura tagged with Jey Uso to face off The Vision's duo of Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed. He gave a shoutout to Hiroshi Tanahashi by using his catchphrase on the microphone following the match.

Shinsuke Nakamura is on the cover of the November 5th issue of Weekly Pro-Wrestling magazine after his match at WWE SuperShow Japan at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo.

The cover line reads “Aishitema〜su! o tsutaetai” (“I want to tell you, ‘I love you!’”)

“Aishitema〜su!” is Hiroshi… pic.twitter.com/0dxStYuMpD
— meraWRESTLING (@meraWRESTLING) October 21, 2025

Nakamura's next WWE appearance is not confirmed, and it seems like his next NJPW is just as unconfirmed. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter's Dave Meltzer believes Nakamura should be allowed to retire Hiroshi Tanahashi.

The Latest on WWE, AEW, & More

Blake Monroe Reveals Her Pick For The Best Wrestler In The World

Cody Rhodes Responds To The Idea Of Turning Heel In Fan Exchange On X

Booker T Reacts To LFG Star BJ Ray And NXT Star Wes Lee's WWE Release