10 WWE Wrestlers Who Should Have Bypassed NXT
4. Shinsuke Nakamura
Shinsuke Nakamura in NXT is the equivalent of sending Randy Orton to NJPW and having him work in the dojo.
The King of Strong Style was one of New Japan's biggest name-brand stars, and even western audiences were somewhat familiar with him. His lack of English skills might indeed have been a motivation to send him to NXT, but as a wrestler, he never should have been there.
It's safe to say that Nakamura's best days are behind him, but the unique and eye-catching wrestler is so bombastic and loud that he's made for the biggest stages possible. His NXT run did lead to incredible matches - with his debut bout against Sami Zayn being an easy highlight - but he certainly didn't need the training as he came into WWE with the right style in mind.
His time on the main roster hasn't been what fans were hoping for, and audiences with no NJPW knowledge probably have no idea about his prestige. Still, if he'd come into the main roster right away, it would have made it very clear that this King of Strong Style was worthy of his crown.