8 Reasons Shinsuke Nakamura Is The Perfect 21st Century Wrestler

1. He's A Five-Star Match Machine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a454ryRmmDA

Nakamura has taken part in absolutely stellar matches in NJPW over the course of the course of his career, with a particularly explosive surge in great matches since August 2014, when he took part in the G1 Climax tournament. 

He has proven himself able to work against a myriad of different wrestlers, from hard-hitting brawlers, to younger and better-rounded wrestlers, to fellow company veterans, to legends.

Then, of course, there was his match against Kota Ibushi at Wrestle Kingdom IX in January. That match received rave reviews, as well as a 5-star rating, and set the bar incredibly high for pro wrestling for the rest of the year.

This is a wrestler who became synonymous with the IWGP Intercontinental Championship by taking part in such great matches and defending the belt so well that he raised this ‘secondary’ belt to a point where it was considered on-par with or greater than the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

At 35, Nakamura’s star is shining brighter than ever, and he’s bound to keep having awesome matches and dazzling wrestling fans everywhere with his eccentricities. 

Without a doubt, there isn’t a single pro wrestler alive today who encapsulates everything needed to be successful in the 21st century more than Shinsuke Nakamura.

Contributor

Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.