Shinsuke Nakamura’s match against AJ Styles on this past weekend’s Saturday Night’s Main Event made the case for WWE giving the Japanese star a strong push right now.
Recent signs have indicated that Nakamura’s
career could be winding down, especially the fact that he disappears from WWE programming for extended periods of time. On Saturday, fans in Montreal showed they had missed him, and chants for his name were nearly as loud as those for the beloved Styles.
Before the night was over, the King of Strong Style won over more of the crowd with the physical, engaging bout against the Phenomenal One. Though he was defeated, Nakamura’s efforts were summarized by a post-match show of respect with the men bumping fists while on their knees.
One could argue that Nakamura never fully received the level of support he’s deserved on the main roster. After establishing himself as a major star in his home country thanks to a meteoric rise in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Nakamura arrived to the WWE to much fanfare in 2016. Months later, he won his first of two NXT Championships, and he made his way up to the main roster by 2017.
Nakamura looked to be on track to becoming one of the company’s biggest personalities. Fans responded to his “strong style” of aggressive wrestling, as well as to his eccentric dancing, “C’mon” taunts, and flashy ring attire. Of course, having one of the catchier entrance themes in WWE also helped win over crowds.
Perhaps he hit his high-water mark too early when he won the 2018 Royal Rumble. The victory set up Nakamura challenging then-champion AJ Styles for the WWE Championship at WresleMania 34. Nakamura came up short, but his feud with Styles continued, and he began employing the hilarious “Sorry, no speak English” line into interviews after speaking the language fine only moments earlier.
WWE’s top gold has eluded Nakamura during his tenure in the company, even though he’s held the U.S. Championship multiple times, the Intercontinental title, and even the Tag Team Championship.
His most recent run of high-profile PLE main events came in 2023 when he unsuccessfully challenged Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship before moving on to feud with Cody Rhodes using a new samurai-like gimmick to close out 2023.
Following his battles with Rhodes, Nakamura began to rescind into the background, and his hiatuses stretched out for months at a time. Despite the increasing amount of inactive periods, the 45-year-old told Tokyo Sports in an interview last October that he doesn’t believe retirement is imminent.
“Fortunately, I haven’t had many injuries, so it’s not right away, but there’s no such thing as forever,” Nakamura said at the time. “If you ask me about the next ten years, I have my doubts, but if you ask me about five years, maybe.”
In the same interview, Nakamura also spoke about wanting to win a world heavyweight title in the U.S. before calling to a career.
“I think that’s the one thing that Japanese people, especially men, have yet to break through on this American stage,” Nakamura said. “I can’t help but wonder what would happen if I couldn’t do it. I hope I can leave behind some kind of path, some kind of hope for the next generation of Japanese and Asian people.”
While AEW—a company noted for elevating Japanese male wrestlers into high spots—could be an eventual destination for Nakamura, he can still deliver big moments for WWE if given the opportunity.
WWE fans have shown they value historic match-ups, such as Finn Bálor’s recent unsuccessful challenge against World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk. Given the fan response to Nakamura in Montreal, he would most likely see a similar reaction by going up against either Punk or Bálor.
He could also prove to have good chemistry with members of the MFTs or could draw more interest to someone like Austin Theory.
Of course, if all else fails and Nakamura is indeed coming near the end of his decorated career, WWE could always place him in a big retirement angle with GUNTHER.
