10 Best Moments Of WWE WrestleMania 33 Weekend

9. Shinsuke Nakamura's Swansong

Lesnar Mania 33
WWE.com

The match between Bobby Roode and Shinsuke Nakamura was a restrained masterclass of the wrestling art form.

Roode was operating in impervious heel mode throughout, refusing to engage Nakamura in the opening act. He then withstood Nakamura's relentlessly stiff barrage and re-injured his knee in a winning callback to their original match. Nakamura sold it as if it was hanging off the bone. Every time he had to use it, it weakened him. His selling was as consistent as it was believable. It felt like he was actually suffering in there.

His bumping was even better. When he was struck by Roode's match-changing chop block and subsequent backstabber, he fell to the mat in a cracked mirror image version of his "Yeoh!" entrance appeal. It was as if Roode had broken the whole and not just the part. Everything that happened had some bearing on the next; it was impossible not to invest in.

The finish was emphatic. Roode drilled Nakamura with a super version of his Glorious DDT, and that was it. There were no cheap near-falls, no gaps in logic. Nakamura put him over big, as per the tradition of NXT's floating roster, but on this evidence it's sad that the main roster doesn't do this more often with their heels. Nakamura looked great even in defeat.

They don't make 'em like that anymore - only, they do.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!