8 Reasons Shinsuke Nakamura Is The Perfect 21st Century Wrestler

4. Awesome Entrances

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbGfNK_-XIg

How often do you see the Intercontinental Champion come down to the ring with his own pyro, wearing a long cape and a crown on his head, and actually walks and moves like an actual king?

Almost every time Nakamura enters the arena, there’s an added dimension to his entrances that makes it feel like someone special is coming down the aisle. Sometimes he’ll be accompanied by a beautiful geisha. On other occasions, flames will rise from the ground à la The Undertaker as he walks down the aisle. 

On major PPVs, he cranks the wow factor up to 11 with such additions as a group of female pole dancers accompanying him to the ring.

The general rule about Nakamura, however, is that his entrance allows him to show off a kind of animation that’s not likely to be seen anywhere else in 21st century pro wrestling. This is a man who points randomly to the crowd, puts on wacky facial expressions, and sometimes even dances to the beat of his own entrance theme.

If a different wrestler were to do that, they’d be the laughingstock of the entire company. But for Nakamura, not only does this work perfectly, but it’s the ideal mechanism for him to stand out as a pro wrestler in this day and age.

Contributor

Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.