10 Hardest-Hitting Wrestlers Today

For a Western audience, the words strong style tend to mean one man: Shinsuke Nakamura. The Japanese star has taken NXT by storm since making his debut a year ago, and his stiff blows have left everyone he's met bruised and battered.

Nakamura is almost the perfect wrestler. Charisma oozes from him in waves, and yet when he gets in the ring, he is perfectly happy to get down and dirty. His extensive arsenal of kicks and punches all look like they are meant to hurt and you only need to ask Austin Aries about the effect Nakamura's Kinshasha can have on one’s face.

When Nakamura walked into NXT, he brought with him a style that a lot of Western wrestling fans weren’t used to seeing. The stomps he delivered to the back of Sami Zayn’s head during that debut match drew audible gasps of shock.

If New Japan and strong style make a dent on wrestling in America in the years ahead, then they will owe Nakamura a token of thanks for opening up the way in front of them.