Shinsuke Nakamura returning to Pro Wrestling NOAH on January 1

Shinsuke Nakamura is headed back to Pro Wrestling NOAH. Nakamura vs. Ulka Sasaki has been announced for NOAH The New Year 2025 on January 1, 2025, at the Nippon Budokan. It will be his first match for the promotion since defeating The Great Muta at The New Year 2023. The match was Keiji Muto’s final time performing as Muta. The news was announced today during NOAH’s show at Korakuen Hall. “NOAH, it’s been a while. After that miraculous fight, WWE’s SHINSUKE NAKAMURA will return to Nippon Budokan on New Year’s Day! Who will be standing in front of me?” Sasaki is a former UFC and Rizin fighter who made his pro wrestling debut 11 months ago. Nakamura hasn’t wrestled a match on WWE programming since the April 22, 2024, episode of Raw when he lost to Sheamus. He has been on house shows, however, and was defeated by LA Knight at WWE’s live event in Cardiff, Wales last night. The 44-year-old was voted into The Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame Class of 2015. He was voted Wrestler of the Year in 2014 and ha