Ranking Shinsuke Nakamura’s 10 Best WWE Matches So Far
10. Vs Tye Dillinger (NXT TV, April 13th 2016)
A short but memorable encounter between NXT's two latest main roster graduates was the highlight of a rotten set of television tapings at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center the day before WrestleMania 32.
Just 24 hours after his breathtaking debut (more on that later), 'The King of Strong Style' wrestled twice in one day in front of an Axxess crowd that would go down as the poorest in the developmental brand's televised history.
The usually white hot NXT product played mostly to silence from a crowd of WWE gift shop enthusiasts and those waiting to grab a picture with Randy Orton, but the magnificence of Nakamura and increasingly-relatable Tye Dillinger lifted the audience to a more acceptable decibel level.
Still a mysterious figure, Shinsuke was able to confuse and delight in equal measure, with his unique method of mind games overawing 'The Perfect 10'. A memorable moment for both, Nakamura joining Dillinger in his own 'Ten' taunt was a superb moment of realisation for Tye. Rattled by his opponent's demeanour, he'd fall to the Kinshasa minutes later.
His contest with Elias Samson later that day (taped to air a fortnight later as the crew bottled a full month of television) couldn't compete, but was notable again for rare crowd participation thanks again to the dynamism of the enigmatic new Japanese star.