Major rumor killer on Tony Khan and AEW blocking Shinsuke Nakamura from facing legend - Reports

A report has just come out, debunking a major rumor regarding Tony Khan and Shinsuke Nakamura. This claimed that Khan was responsible for the Japanese star not having a chance to take on a retiring legend.

At Wrestle Kingdom 20 this January, Hiroshi Tanahashi is set to compete in his retirement match, and fittingly at the Tokyo Dome. It was revealed that AEW Unified Champion Kazuchika Okada will be his final opponent, despite some rumors going around that this could have been the King of Strong Style.

There have been theories going around about how Tony Khan was the one who stopped this dream match from becoming a reality and got Okada booked for this match instead. Fightful Select has debunked the rumor, as they reported that this was not the case, and NJPW knew that Hiroshi Tanahashi facing Shinsuke Nakamura was always going to be far-fetched.

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Shinsuke Nakamura was looking to face another retiring legend one more time

This year, there is only one more major retirement that is bigger than that of Hiroshi Tanahashi. This is John Cena's retirement, with his retirement match taking place this December.

A tournament is taking place to crown the man who will retire him. A few days ago, WWE spoke with some of those entered into the tournament, one of whom was Shinsuke Nakamura himself. He spoke about how it was around that time for those from his generation to call it a career, and he hoped for one final time to cross paths with Cena.

"Some of our generation decided to step away from the ring. No one can escape from the flow of time. But if his path and mine should cross again, I believe it would be a gift. A gift," said Nakamura.

WWE

@WWE

@JohnCena @WWESheamus @netflix @ArcherOfInfamy "I believe it will be a gift." Honored to take part, @ShinsukeN knows what's at stake in The Last Time Is Now Tournament. 📺 8e/5p on @netflix

Tanahashi and Cena's retirement matches are both highly anticipated and greatly dreaded by fans. These two legends have made a mark in American and Japanese wrestling, respectively, and they will forever be etched in history.