Is NJPW Interested In Bringing Shinsuke Nakamura Back?
Three years ago Shinsuke Nakamura debuted in WWE. Now, that his contract is coming up, will he stay or will he go?
WWE announced three years ago that they had signed then Japanese Wrestling sensation Shinsuke Nakamura to a contract, and that he was going to be in NXT soon. Just a few short months later he made his official in-ring debut at NXT TakeOver: Dallas against Sami Zayn in a stellar match that many still consider the best match of his WWE career.
Three years on now and Shinsuke has been an afterthought since being called up to the main roster after WrestleMania last year. He had four shots at the WWE Championship but never dethroned champ AJ Styles. And to be honest most of the matches were lackluster disappointments, which was a shock given their match in NJPW at Wrestle Kingdom 10 that was an instant classic.
Sure he recently won the United States Championship off of Jeff Hardy at Extreme Rules, so maybe his career is on the way up, but if New Japan came calling, and could give him better storylines, and a more important role in the company than WWE could offer him, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him jump ship back to where he started to end his career.
According to Dave Meltzer on the Wrestling Observer Radio, New Japan wants Nakamura back due to his contract expiring, and WWE has shown interest in New Japan front-runners Kenny Omega, Cody, and The Young Bucks whose contracts also come up in early 2019. Assuming they went to WWE, New Japan would be hungry to get some wrestlers that have some clout in America, insert Nakamura.
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Shinsuke may or may not be happy with how things have gone for him in WWE and might be ready to go back to where he’s enjoyed success in the past. It is worth noting that Meltzer does not seem to believe Nakamura would leave WWE due to the toned-down style and his family being settled in.
AJ Styles, Karl Anderson, and Luke Gallows contracts all also come up in the early part of 2019. While Styles seems content to stay in WWE, Gallows and Anderson could be willing to leave if New Japan is interested, and if Cody, Omega, and the Bucks all leave, expect Goto to be calling on Gallows and Anderson.