10 Wrestlers With Incredible First Years

3. Shinsuke Nakamura - NXT

Kurt Angle KOTR
WWE.com

A breathtaking 2016 for Shinsuke Nakamura puts him on this list four months before he even makes it a full year in NXT.

Debuting in this writer's Match of the Year against Sami Zayn at NXT Takeover: Dallas back in March, Nakamura was already the biggest star in the developmental league before his ring entrance had even concluded.

Jaws dropped that night in Dallas, and many haven't been picked back up, as 'The King of Strong Style' matched his effortless and inimitable persona up against Austin Aries, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe in some stirring contests, each one more stellar than the last.

A force of nature, Shinsuke could easily win the 2017 Royal Rumble unannounced, book his place at Wrestlemania and score the gold on the biggest night of the year, and nary an eyelid would be batted.

Nakamura's enigmatic presence and other-worldly charisma have cast him apart from from just about anybody WWE audiences have ever seen, and the eventual call-up to the main roster makes only more mouthwatering promises he's likely to keep.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 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. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. 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