Tony Khan has responded to rumors claiming Hiroshi Tanahashi wanted Shinsuke Nakamura as his final opponent.
NJPW veteran Hiroshi Tanahashi’s final match is set to take place later this week at Wrestle Kingdom 20, where he will face his iconic rival Kazuchika Okada in his final match. Before Okada was officially announced as Tanahashi’s retirement opponent, reports suggested that Shinsuke Nakamura was considered as a potential final opponent for Hiroshi Tanahashi.
However, another report claimed that Tony Khan prevented the match because Nakamura is currently under contract with WWE.
Speaking with Q101, Khan reflected on Hiroshi Tanahashi’s retirement, praised their strong working relationship, and highlighted AEW’s special send-off for the NJPW legend, including the Lights Out Cage Match and Forbidden Door main event.
He also dismissed reports that Tanahashi wanted Shinsuke Nakamura as his final opponent and that he opposed the idea. He said, “That is actually something I read about, and I was surprised to read that. I’m not sure where that all came from, I don’t really understand some of that story, and it was a very detailed story with a lot of, if I may, it seemed like they thought they could read minds with that story.”
“Not only did they say ‘well this happened and this happened’, but they’re like ‘he felt this way about it, and he felt this way, and he was thinking’, and it’s like, are you telepathic? Like a lot of that never happened, and a lot of it was how would you know what that guy was thinking, or that guy? I thought that was an interesting story, I’ll put it that way.” [H/T: Wrestletalk]
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