10 WWE Superstars And The Angles That Made Them Famous
8. Shinsuke Nakamura & The King Of Swag Style
Don't get me wrong, Shinsuke Nakamura has been a big deal since he first burst onto the New Japan Pro Wrestling scene way back in 2002. Along with fellow rookies Hiroshi Tanahashi and Katsuyori Shibata, big things were expected of Nakamura. Indeed, he seemed to fulfil his promise when he won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in 2003, becoming the youngest champion in the history of the title.
It wasn't until an excursion to Mexico's CMLL in 2011 that the penny dropped for ol' Shinsuke however. He had turned heel a year or so earlier, talking of wanting to resurrect strong style wrestling, but his demeanour was still hyper-serious, a man in the ring to kick your head off and not much else.
I don't know what happened in Mexico, but when Nakamura returned he had somehow become the coolest guy in the planet. The seriousness was still there, but it was now hidden under layer upon layer of charisma. He went from your stereotypical strong style Japanese wrestler in black trunks to a veritable walking sex object, complete with strippers and pop star mannerisms.
Without this change, Shinsuke Nakamura in WWE would be a far less imaginable idea.