Shinsuke Nakamura is traveling to Pro Wrestling NOAH this weekend in order to wrestle The Great Muta as part of the veteran’s retirement tour.

Nakamura recently spoke with NOAH’s YouTube channel where he opened up about his upcoming match at “The New Year 2023” event. He said,

“It was a surprise to me. Unbelievable, was my honest reaction that it actually came to real[ity]. I’ve been watching him since before I became a wrestler. He was an idol to me, first but as I became a wrestler, I no [longer] like that. Different from Keiji Muto, another personality of him. He has his own world and rhythm.”

Nakamura had previously requested WWE for permission to wrestle Muta, only to get rejected by former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. The former NXT Champion continued,

“The fact that the name of Muta will never appear [in] the ring again [shows the] changing flow of time. The words…I don’t know how to express this in Japanese – neither in English, though. It is a major change.”

According to Nakamura, people in WWE were really supportive of the match and the executives played the right cards to make it a reality. WWE’s Head of Creative, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, ultimately gave the thumbs up. Nakamura said,

“It’s really an impossible situation to occur. Everything is special [about the match]. You know, this year, many people had passed away, or retired. In the midst of changing times this match miraculously took place. [Facing] Great Muta is surely a special match in every way. Of course I take it special, and it’s the Great Muta that I’m having [a] match with.”

“It may not be the last match of his career, but it’s [a] great pleasure that he chose me as one of his last opponents. ‘Special’ is not enough for this match, but it is a miracle in the [diversity] of the generation.”

Nakamura will wrestle The Great Muta at “The New Year 2023” show at Budokan Hall on January 1, 2023.

You can keep up with all your wrestling news right here on eWrestlingNews.com. Or, you can follow us on our Twitter and Facebook pages.