10 Wrestlers Who Proved Their Worth In A Crisis
7. Shinsuke Nakamura
Hiroshi Tanahashi is credited mostly with New Japan's post-Inokism revival - and this narrative will likely take further hold, the more he establishes his synonymity with it - but Shinsuke Nakamura's role cannot be overlooked nor overstated.
Where Tanahashi was the classic hero figure, universal in his appeal as a fan's wrestler, critic's wrestler and wrestler's wrestler, Nakamura was a totally captivating, almost mystical presence - alluring counter-evidence to the growing western audience that the "bland" accusations levelled at puroresu historically were, in fact, racist as sh*t. Nakamura was so awe-inspiring in his pomp. He fused the strangest, most offbeat charisma with a stunningly violent and legitimate interpretation of strong style, at once restoring and advancing the purest vision of puro.
If Tanahashi made New Japan big again, Nakamura made it cool. He became a myth in his own time, so much so that he could never hope to live up to that reputation in WWE, its systemic creative failures be damned.
Nakamura was the stiffest, toughest, most charismatic, hell, even the funniest package in the world at one point.