Shinsuke Nakamura made his WWE debut in NXT in April 2016, defeating Sami Zayn at TakeOver: Dallas. He won the NXT Championship from Samoa Joe in August 2016, lost it in November, and regained it in December in Osaka, Japan, becoming one of four two-time NXT Champions.
Drafted to SmackDown in April 2017, he feuded with Dolph Ziggler and Randy Orton. In January 2018, WWE pulled the trigger on a main event run when the King of Strong Style won the Royal Rumble, entering at #14, earning a WWE Championship match against AJ Styles at WrestleMania 34, where he lost.
He turned heel post-match, attacking Styles and soon returned to the midcard, where he's held both the Intercontinental and United States Championships on multiple occasions.
More recently, he's held the latter title as a heel. While WWE attempted to repackage Nakamaura with a new look and entrance theme, we've only seen him on television sporadically. A return to the main event scene seems unlikely, and at 45, who knows how much longer he'll wrestle for?
Nakamura has been in Japan this past week as part of WWE's tour of the country. Reflecting on that, he took to X to share some emotional words with fans and strongly hinted that he may follow AJ Styles and John Cena by retiring as "my own time might not be far off."
It would be a shame to say goodbye to the former NXT Champion, but if his career is winding down, then now might be a good time for him to try and find a way to end that on a high note, even if it's in a less splashy fashion that Cena's Retirement Tour.
You can read his comments in full below.
What a special place Japan is. especially for those of us who wrestle.
As AJ said, it’s a place worthy of giving everything you’ve got. Of course, that’s true anywhere in the world… but there’s something sacred here. I don’t know if it’s because I’m Japanese, but I believe the wrestlers and fans who shared this space all felt the same. Maybe.
He did too — John Cena, AJ — they’ve all chosen to step away from the ring. It reminds me that my own time might not be far off.
But I still have things I must do. I’m still struggling, still fighting, not knowing what tomorrow will bring.
All I can do is live this day with everything I have.
Thank you.
If only… one more time…