Dave Meltzer believes there is a strong chance that Hiroshi Tanahashi could face Shinsuke Nakamura in his retirement match at Wrestle Kingdom 20.

WWE recently held two live events in Tokyo, and Nakamura gave a nod to Tanahashi by using his signature “Aishitemasu” catchphrase during one of the shows. Tanahashi later responded on social media, writing, “Hmm? I think I heard something…” in a playful exchange that quickly caught the attention of fans.

This interaction sparked speculation that Nakamura might be the one to face Tanahashi in his final match on January 4, 2026, at the Tokyo Dome. During Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez discussed the likelihood of that dream match becoming reality.

Meltzer explained, “Nakamura, on the first night in Tokyo, he was doing some Tanahashi mannerisms. So there’s been a lot, a lot of talk about Tanahashi and Nakamura at the Tokyo Dome show. I would just say it’s not a done deal right now.”

He went on to add, “Could it happen? I mean, Nakamura has in his contract he can do stuff in Japan, that was part of the deal that he signed. It’s a weird political thing, because obviously New Japan and AEW work very closely together, and Nakamura is a WWE guy.”

Meltzer continued, “My gut is that, and I could be dead wrong, even though WWE and AEW are feuding, and all the stuff WWE does to AEW constantly, I do think that Tony Khan – I don’t know, people are going like oh he’s going to get really mad and I don’t know – maybe he will but I don’t think so. I just think it’s Tanahashi’s retirement, and if Tanahashi wants to retire against Nakamura, and they can pull that off, I think it should be okay.”

If the match does take place, it would mark the 21st anniversary of the first time they met in singles competition. That encounter happened on January 4, 2005, at NJPW Toukon Festival, where Nakamura defeated Tanahashi. Over the years, the two legends have faced each other 17 times in singles matches, with Tanahashi winning their last meeting in the 2015 G1 Climax final.

Comment - Join WNS (It’s Free!) 

Ready to join the discussion? Sign up in 30 seconds to comment on wrestling news, connect with fans, and track your activity on the WNS leaderboard. Click the link to sign up today - Become a Member (Don't forget to verify your email!).