10 Best Wrestlers Of 2015 (Who Don't Work For WWE)

6. Shinsuke Nakamura (NJPW)

Highlight of the Year: Defeating Kota Ibushi to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Championship (January 4). After being named Wrestler of the Year in many end-of-2014 lists, the onus was on Shinsuke Nakamura to deliver in 2015. When he defeated Kota Ibushi at Wrestle Kingdom only days into the year in a match that has received widespread support as the best of 2015, it was clear he was up to the challenge. Nakamura has become synonymous with the Intercontinental Championship, elevating it in prestige to a level where it headlines shows and is competed for by the best - in short, it's nearly on the level of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Nakamura lost the title to Hirooki Goto in March, but he reclaimed it in September to become a record-setting five-time titleholder. Many expected that Nakamura would claim the IWGP Heavyweight Title or win the G1 Climax tournament in 2015. While neither of those accomplishments were to be, Nakamura still delivered in the ring on such a consistent basis that he's among the elite performers in the world.