Shinsuke Nakamura sends Hiroshi Tanahashi a gift ahead of NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20
Shinsuke Nakamura sent a gift to Hiroshi Tanahashi.
Ahead of his final match on Sunday, Hiroshi Tanahashi posted a picture of flowers on social media, with people noting that the flowers come from longtime rival Nakamura.
“Thank you,” Tanahashi wrote in his post.
In the build-up to Tanahashi’s last match, speculation arose over who Tanahashi’s final opponent would be. Nakamura, who left NJPW in 2016 to join WWE, came up as a possible name despite NJPW and WWE having no relationship and NJPW’s strong relationship with AEW. In the end, it was Kazuchika Okada who ended up challenging Tanahashi in what will be his final match at Wrestle Kingdom 20.
On social media, Nakamura noted that he was going to wake up early tomorrow, a possible hint he’d at least be watching Wrestle Kingdom.
The two faced off multiple times in their career, including Wrestle Kingdom 8 in 2014 where Tanahashi beat Nakamura to win the IWGP Intercontinental title. Their final singles match was the finals of the 2015 G1 Climax tournament where Tanahashi defeated Nakamura once again.
Others on social media, including Ivar and JC Mateo from WWE, also paid tribute to Tanahashi.
Bryan Rose is an editor from California that has been covering professional wrestling for well over a decade. He officially joined F4WOnline as an editor in 2017.