Shinsuke Nakamura Pays Tribute to Meiko Satomura During WWE SmackDown Main Event

Shinsuke Nakamura honored Japanese wrestling legend Meiko Satomura during this week’s SmackDown from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Defending his United States Championship against LA Knight in the main event, Nakamura paid tribute to Satomura—who is set to retire later this month—by using her signature finisher, Scorpio Rising.

The match took a chaotic turn when Nakamura accidentally sprayed mist on the referee instead of Knight. Seizing the moment, he struck his opponent with a kick before executing the tribute move. However, Knight fought back, knocking a steel chair from Nakamura’s hands and hitting a BFT onto the chair for the victory.

Satomura, whose career has spanned promotions like WCW, Stardom, and NXT UK, will wrestle her final match at Satomura The Final on April 29, 2025.

Shinsuke Nakamura paid tribute to Meiko Satomura, who is set to retire on April 29, on #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/Ku9hYUktGq

— Anutosh Bajpai || SEScoops || Wrestling News (@AuthorAnutosh) March 8, 2025