8 Reasons Shinsuke Nakamura Is The Perfect 21st Century Wrestler
2. His Incredible Charisma
Nakamura was voted ‘Most Charismatic Wrestler’ for 2014 by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
He earned that distinction because his ability to connect with the audience and garner a reaction from them is astounding. A big part of that is due to the fact that he is quite possibly the only wrestler on earth who can be funny and cool at the same time.
If you watch Nakamura perform, he embraces the crowd and makes their reactions just as important a part of his matches as his actual wrestling. Every single movement he makes in the ring, from a quick facial expression to an explosive flurry of forearm strikes, garners a reaction from the crowd and makes the stories he tells that much better.
Moreover, Nakamura’s realistic offense and eccentricities are coupled with excellent selling and actually referencing the audience makes Nakamura the closest thing to a WWE-style pro wrestler that NJPW can offer. He makes the audience more than just an audience; he makes them key players in the success of a match, as their reactions are critical to making them better.
There’s a reason why so many non-Japanese fans have become fans of Nakamura’s: he can connect with the audience without even needing to speak, using a wide variety of moment-appropriate movements and expressions that transcend the language barrier that often discourages English-speaking fans from investing in Japanese wrestling.