Update: Shinsuke Nakamura has since responded to reports that he signed a new contract, claiming them to not be true. A reply to one of those reports from Nakamura on Twitter can be found below.
Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men podcast also clarified on Twitter that earlier reports attributing him about the news of Nakamura's extension were from a report in 2019, not recently:
Original story: Shinsuke Nakamura has reportedly signed a new deal with WWE, although the length of his new contract is yet to be revealed.
There has been an air of uncertainty about WWE throughout most of 2021 thus far. The company has been releasing Superstars in batches seemingly at random. Almost no one appears to be safe which not only has fans on edge but apparently the wrestlers too. There's no telling when more people might be let go, even if they are actively involved in angles on TV.
Nakamura's New Deal
There are some things that should make Superstars feel safer about their WWE employment status, and being signed to a new deal is one of them. That was recently the case for Shinsuke Nakamura. According to Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men Pro Wrestling podcast, Nakamura recently signed a new contract, the details of which are yet to be revealed.
Zarian did add that Nakamura is happy in WWE, hence him wanting to stick around. Fans of the Intercontinental Champion who watched his work in Japan have claimed the opposite, thinking early on that The King of Strong Style has had to hold back on the type of wrestling he is used to. In reality, Nakamura likes to entertain and probably appreciates being able to do so without hurting himself as much as he used to.
Newly Minted Intercontinental Champion
Although Nakamura is yet to reach the World Title status many would like to see from him in WWE, he is hogging a pretty big spotlight right now. The former NXT Champion beat Apollo Crews for the Intercontinental Title and has arguably made it more relevant again since doing so. Rick Boogs, the guitarist who has been playing Nakamura to the ring recently, certainly helps.
There have been glimmers of hope this year that Nakamura will eventually break through and win a World Championship. During the build to WrestleMania, a grueling gauntlet match felt like it ended by setting up Nakamura versus Roman Reigns. That angle just sort of fizzled out, probably because of how close it was to WrestleMania, and WWE already had other plans in place. Now Nakamura has committed to the company, perhaps WWE will return to that angle in the future.