10 Wrestlers That Became Stars In ONE SECOND

3. Shinsuke Nakamura (NXT TakeOver: Dallas)

Donovan DanHausen
WWE.com

Only in WWE lore would Shinsuke Nakamura not already be considered a star before he stepped out on a company stage for the first time, but in terms of finding and nailing a brand new audience for an established act, there may be none better than 'The King Of Strong Style's debut.

TakeOver: Dallas was well on its way to peaking as one of the best shows in WWE history before the former NJPW star arrived to take it to the next level in a way even the most optimistic fans might not have imagined.

A white-hot TakeOver: Dallas crowd greeted him like a first-ballot Hall-Of-Famer and he responded with the greatest match he'd ever have for the organisation. An instantly iconic clash that gave Sami Zayn the perfect NXT send-off and Nakamura himself a cast-iron guaranteed run with the NXT Championship, the bout was a genuine company classic from Shinsuke's epic entrance through to Zayn's emotional farewell.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett