10 NXT Black & Gold Stars Triple H Built (... And Vince McMahon DESTROYED!)

4. Shinsuke Nakamura

Sasha Banks
WWE.com

When it happened, Shinsuke Nakamura signing with WWE was ground-shaking news. In fact, it's still one of the craziest gets the company has ever had as Nakamura was regarded as one of the best in the world at the time.

The reveal that the King of Strong Style was coming to NXT was a little surprising because it felt like a massive downgrade to go from performing at the Tokyo Dome to Full Sail University. But, in retrospect, we wouldn't have had Nakamura vs Zayn without it - possibly NXT's finest hour.

It's easy to argue that Nakamura couldn't match this height of excitement for the remainder of his NXT run but he still brought with him an undeniable essence of charisma and intrigue.

However, this dripped away during his time in the main roster. To salvage it, WWE did a rather incredible thing by putting him into a WrestleMania program with his former NJPW nemesis AJ Styles... and then he started kicking people in the balls. Suddenly, the aura was shattered.

In the five years since, Shinsuke has done frighteningly little. His United States title reign is almost as forgettable as the years he spent teaming with Cesaro.

The King of Strong Style has probably made loads of money in the last six years, which is hardly a bad spot, but his real potential has gone untapped.

Contributor
Contributor

The Red Mage of WhatCulture. Very long hair. She/they.