10 Best Male Japanese Imports In WWE History
1. Shinsuke Nakamura
To modern day WWE fans, there’s no bigger Japanese star in the WWE than SmackDown’s Shinsuke Nakamura.
Debuting at NXT TakeOver: Dallas in 2016, 'The King of Strong Style' made his presence felt immediately with an instant classic against Sami Zayn. The match was arguably the highlight of the entire WrestleMania weekend and a strong contender for "Match of the Year". Not a bad way to start your WWE career.
From there, Nakamura entered into a number of exciting feuds in NXT - memorably against Austin Aries, Finn Bálor, and Samoa Joe - before securing the NXT Title in August, less than six months after his debut. The Japanese superstar would trade the title back and forth with Samoa Joe, eventually losing the belt to NXT newcomer, Bobby Roode, in January 2017.
Currently residing on SmackDown Live, Nakamura continues to make an impact on WWE's main roster today. In fact, Nakamura currently has one of the most impressive winning percentages in the company and has lost only a handful of televised matches since his WWE debut.
The fact that Nakamura has been booked in the WWE Championship match at SummerSlam shows the company’s continued belief in him as a main event player. With unrivalled momentum and a strong connection with the fans, it seems the only way is up for the charismatic Japanese megastar.