WWE star Shinsuke Nakamura has addressed Hiroshi Tanahashi’s retirement match at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20.
The January 4 event took place at the Tokyo Dome in Japan and saw Hiroshi Tanahashi retire with a loss to AEW’s Kazuchika Okada in the main event.
With Finn Balor and AJ Styles among those to pay tribute to the retiring star, Shinsuke Nakamura has now revealed why he wasn’t at Wrestle Kingdom.
Speaking with Tokyo Sports, Nakamura noted that he had a nostalgic experience watching Hiroshi Tanahashi’s final match, stating:
“Every move he made, what was coming next, what he was going to do… I could tell so much about it that I would laugh while watching.
“The rhythm, the tempo too. I watched with nostalgia and the thought that I would never again be able to experience or appreciate it.”
Sending a final message to Hiroshi Tanahashi, Nakamura added:
“When Tanahashi-san’s retirement was decided, and we were exploring (the match for his retirement match), although we have known each other for many years, I felt a connection that I had never felt before.
“I would like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. As president, I hope that you will continue to liven up not only New Japan Pro-Wrestling but the world of Japanese pro-wrestling as well.”
With hopes of a match between the pair during Tanahashi’s retirement run, Tony Khan has recently addressed rumors that he was involved in the WWE star not being announced as an opponent.
Transcript from Tokyo Sports, translation from Japanese via Google Translate.
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