10 Wrestlers Who Have Hit The Glass Ceiling In WWE

8. Shinsuke Nakamura

Shinsuke Nakamura has probably gone as far as he can in WWE's kayfabe pyramid, and Shinsuke Nakamura is probably absolutely fine with that.

As frequently as his name features on lists of WWE's most under-pushed/held back/misused wrestlers, 'The King Of Strong Style' himself seems very happy in his upper-midcard role. It'd be reductive to say he joined Vince McMahon's promotion to take it easy, though the less intense ring style was almost certainly a stelling point after years of putting his body through hell in NJPW, having developed a reputation for dogging it in unimportant tag bouts long before leaving the Lion Mark.

Though Nakamura is "only" 39 years old, his ring age is far higher than that. Reports of his body's broken, beaten-down condition have done the rounds for years, with Shinsuke seemingly sacrificing his health for in-ring dynamite. That pressure doesn't exist in WWE. Here, he can coast in third gear, getting by on electric charisma without pushing himself to the limit as he reaches for ***** ratings and critical acclaim, and it's hard to criticise him for that.

This is one of the reasons why Nak has hit his glass ceiling in WWE. The others - WWE's inability to protect his aura, lack of promo skill, etc. - are clear too.