10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (May 26)

4. Steve Austin Thought Shinsuke Nakamura's Backlash Debut Was Too Slow

Shinsuke Nakamura Dolph Ziggler
WWE.com

WWE put a lot of hype behind Shinsuke Nakamura's debut on the main roster before Backlash. Defeating Dolph Ziggler on the pay-per-view in a decent match, the beloved former New Japan and NXT star managed to get fans on side and thrill them with his realistic-looking strikes. That wasn't enough for one legend.

A guest on the PW Torch Livecast, Steve Austin picked apart Nakamura vs. Ziggler and said it plodded along without fire when it needed to be a lively match that introduced Shinsuke to more casual WWE fans. Basically, Austin doesn't think the match was fast-paced enough, and even pointed to a lack of urgency.

Nakamura is teflon for many fans at this point, so it won't sit easy that Austin was critical, but he has a point. The match was fine, although it's true Nakamura's main roster debut should have been a more concise introduction to his main moves and character, rather than a drawn-out 15-minute affair designed to look even.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.