Shinsuke Nakamura’s WWE career appears to be winding down according to new contract details revealed by Billi Bhatti on the Wrestling Informer Podcast. The report suggests Nakamura’s time with the company could end shortly after WrestleMania.
Bhatti detailed Nakamura’s contract history with WWE, explaining how the company’s commitment level changed over multiple renewal periods.
Shinsuke Nakamura received a three-year deal in 2016 with main roster-level pay. However, by 2019, there was some reluctance to offer the same deal again. While Nakamura had a huge debut in 2017 and even won the Royal Rumble in 2018, WWE never pulled the trigger on making him champion. By the time his contract was up for renewal in April 2019, WWE was hesitant to commit to another seven-figure deal. In the end, enough people pushed for Nakamura, and he received a three-year extension, taking him into 2022.
The report indicates that the 2022 renewal also came with hesitation, though Triple H expressed strong interest in rebuilding Nakamura’s character.
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By 2022, someone like Nakamura should have received a five-year deal, as that had become commonplace for talents in his position. However, there was reluctance on both sides. Triple H felt strongly that he could rebuild Nakamura and do something meaningful with him, heavily involving himself in that effort. At the time, Nakamura was optimistic that the next three years would be better than the previous ones. Ultimately, he received another three-year deal, and he has had various pushes, particularly since Triple H took over creative control.
Bhatti noted that despite multiple creative attempts to reestablish Nakamura’s momentum, the company appears ready to move on, pointing to his recent United States Championship loss on SmackDown as evidence.
However, it now appears that even Triple H cannot reignite the Nakamura we once saw in Japan. His contract is set to expire soon, though it may not be exactly in April 2025, as he likely owes some time to WWE. Whether the company decides to hold him to that time remains to be seen. Given that Nakamura suddenly lost the United States Championship on SmackDown this week, it seems likely that he will be leaving WWE shortly after WrestleMania—if not before.
The report suggests Nakamura might appear at WrestleMania in a multi-man match scenario, though his WWE future appears limited.
If Nakamura does compete at WrestleMania, he may be placed into a multi-man match, but ultimately, this could be the end of his WWE tenure. I don’t think we’ll see him in the company by the summer. It looks like WWE is moving on.
Nakamura initially signed with WWE in 2016 after an acclaimed career in Japan. His run included winning the 2018 Royal Rumble, though he never captured a world championship during his tenure.
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