8 Wrestlers Who Stayed In NXT Far Too Long
3. Shinsuke Nakamura
When Shinsuke Nakamura signed for WWE in January, most NJPW fans considered the idea of putting him in developmental ridiculous. He had established himself as one of the world’s finest professional wrestlers years ago, and with his electric charisma and flawless Strong Style moveset, what else could he possibly learn at the Performance Center?
You can make the argument that he’d have to learn the “WWE style” before hitting the main roster, but that claim expired the moment he stepped-out at TakeOver: Dallas. It was apparent from the first minute of Nakamura’s match with Sami Zayn that he knew exactly what he was doing, and that his act was just as suited to America as it was Japan.
Nakamura was ready from the day he walked through the door, but instead of putting him on the main roster, WWE have kept him in NXT ever since. It’s given us a bunch of great matches and allowed Nakamura to become champion, sure, but we’re talking about one of the best wrestlers in the world here. Shinsuke Nakamura has headlined the Tokyo Dome, but now spends his days wrestling for a tiny audience on a college campus: a huge misuse of his talents.
He’ll eventually find his way to the main roster, but Nakamura is no green rookie. He’s an international superstar with over 14 years of experience, and at 36 years old, he needs to make an impact on Raw or SmackDown sooner rather than later.