10 Wrestlers Who Changed WWE’s In-Ring Style

1. Shinsuke Nakamura

Punk Bryan MITB
WWE.com

Strong Style had been adopted by many WWE stars well before Shinsuke Nakamura made his electric WWE bow at NXT TakeOver: Dallas - but, fittingly, its King decreed its true meaning.

His match with Sami Zayn was one of the stiffest WWE has ever presented. The maniacal Nakamura made a mockery of those who associated the WWE with safety and rigid, black and white confines. Nakamura didn't just strike Zayn's face and chest with unprecedented force - he even drilled him with a fierce knee strike to the back of the head in its closing stages. The match astonished those who perceived WWE as a diluted iteration of the pro wrestling form. It might have been, once, but it certainly wasn't anymore.

He was always going to be received as a babyface - but elements of his performance, in which he frequently disrespected and took advantage of Zayn's fair play naiveté, were downright heelish. Those confines mattered little in New Japan - and with his brutal debut, they no longer mattered to WWE, either.

Or, to be more accurate, NXT, the variety of which still far outstrips that found on the main roster. It's a pipe dream, but hopefully Triple H's true takeover isn't too far away.

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 current Undisputed WWE 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!