Shinsuke Nakamura

[Gallops77]

Idk if I'm the only one who thinks this, but I feel like the minute Nakamura debuts on the main roster, he could be immediately placed in the main event.

He is WAY over as evidenced every time he steps into the ring.

What does anyone else think? Could Nakamura or anyone else in NXT right now be someone who can debut and immediately main event?

 

[Aquaman6686]

Because of the NXT bias, everyone who debuts from there is instantly at the top of their respective divisions, and that's NOT how it should be. They should debut at the bottom of the main roster. But thanks to Triple H's bias towards his "baby", NXT, wrestlers no longer have to pay their dues. If you were over in the farm league, you're instantly at the top of WWE. It's wrong, but it's the way it is now.

 

[conici]

Because of the NXT bias, everyone who debuts from there is instantly at the top of their respective divisions, and that's NOT how it should be. They should debut at the bottom of the main roster. But thanks to Triple H's bias towards his "baby", NXT, wrestlers no longer have to pay their dues. If you were over in the farm league, you're instantly at the top of WWE. It's wrong, but it's the way it is now.

I think Shinsuke Nakamura has more than paid his dues. He was in 'developmental' to acclimatise more than anything. You proved you don't know what you are talking about in the comments section in a Nakamura article so I will stop with you.

Honestly he would not look out of place being slotted straight into the main event scene straight away and that is where he belongs 100% I think he can be a bonafide megastar if WWE really got behind him maybe give him a legit manager (not funaki) if needed; his natural charisma and ring work are second to none and should slot in fine with the top dogs in the company.

 

[Doctor Awesome]

Because of the NXT bias, everyone who debuts from there is instantly at the top of their respective divisions, and that's NOT how it should be. They should debut at the bottom of the main roster. But thanks to Triple H's bias towards his "baby", NXT, wrestlers no longer have to pay their dues. If you were over in the farm league, you're instantly at the top of WWE. It's wrong, but it's the way it is now.

@ Aquaman...
Seriously dude, you can't believe that. Ask: Neville, Bo Dallas, Sami Zayn, Adam, Rose, Tyler Breeze, Xavier Woods, Big E, the Wyatt's, Ascension, Vaudevillains, Emma and a slew of others how they enjoyed walking in as top stars. Yeah, you can't because they didn't. Some of them haven't really rose through the ranks that much while others were given certain positioning but have run with it, paying their dues and earning their spots. KO, Enzo & Cass and Finn Balor walked in to top tier spots doesn't mean they didn't earn it. Having people like them start at the lower-mid card really dilutes their immediate impact as they leave the doors of Full Sail at the absolute top of the promotion to be featured on Superstars? It's a waste of all the time and money invested and insults the fans that helped make them stars. Agreed, not everyone should get called up in that fashion, but the few mentioned who have and Shinsuke Nakamura are the exceptions.

Shinsuke Nakamura, as mentioned above, is in NXT for polishing and working the WWE tv way. He headlined Wrestle Kingdom w/AJ Styles prior to signing and had ME'd a few of them prior. The man is a draw at the box office and just short of Brock Lesnar may be the easiest to pitch as nearly unstoppable. How do you let him come up anything short of the upper-mid card/ME? At this stage of the game it would be an insult to us watching him do anything short of contend for titles upon his arrival to RAW or SD, with several booking dreams coming true out of the title picture. Say what you want but Nakamura/Cena will be a huge draw sooner than later. Plus, his rematches with Styles & Zayn, maybe even Karl Anderson down the road will be awesome. I am bummed that we may never see him against ADR, that would be a killer match.

To summarize, Nakamura is gonna be a big deal in the immediate future, learn to love it!

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Because of the NXT bias, everyone who debuts from there is instantly at the top of their respective divisions, and that's NOT how it should be. They should debut at the bottom of the main roster. But thanks to Triple H's bias towards his "baby", NXT, wrestlers no longer have to pay their dues. If you were over in the farm league, you're instantly at the top of WWE. It's wrong, but it's the way it is now.

You frequently make these sort of broad, blanket statements when it comes to talent. "Everyone" always does this, "everyone" always does that, "everyone" always goes over top stars, etc. and it's just not how it is. Adam Rose, the Vaudevillains, Tyler Breeze, Baron Corbin, Apollo Crews, Neville, Mojo Rawley, and the Ascension are all wrestlers who aren't exactly at the top of the roster. Some of them are little more than jobbers at this point. They gave Kalisto a shot as United States Champion and it didn't work, so he's no longer in the title picture. Sami Zayn has been on the main roster since the Royal Rumble and he's firmly established in the mid-card but hasn't won a title. Kevin Owens has been on the main roster for over a year and hasn't really challenged for the World Championship yet.

Working in NXT is part of paying your dues. Most of the talent in NXT has to spend a significant amount of time there fine tuning themselves where WWE officials feel they need it. Others, like Kevin Owens for instance, aren't there long because they feel that he didn't need the time there and that there was money to be made with him. I mentioned Sami Zayn earlier, he's still paying dues a bit on the main roster so they can assess how they think he'll hold up in the long run, given that he was out injured for the entire second half of 2015. Dean Ambrose spent about a year and a half in NXT before being brought up while Rollins spent about 2 years. A lot of these wrestlers spent 7 to 10 years, sometimes more, working the indie scene or in Japan before coming to NXT and, eventually, the main roster so the vast majority of these men have most certainly paid their dues.

As far as Nakamura goes, I'm sure there'll be a push among internet fans and dirt sheet writers especially for him to be in the main event and that's fine with me. If someone has the talent, the work ethic and a genuine love of the job, then I've got no real problem seeing them as a main eventer quickly rather than waiting a few years. If you think WWE is the only company that does this, you're sadly mistaken. For many years, TNA was built around former WWE and WCW stars, guys who hadn't busted their asses for the company the way the "TNA originals" had done, instead of using these major stars to help build up younger ones, despite that these older stars were mostly over the hill. When AJ Styles left TNA and went to New Japan, he didn't "pay his dues" in New Japan, he was elevated straight to the top of the roster because New Japan thought they could make a lot of money with Styles in that spot and they were right. Nakamura isn't someone that's spent the last 10 years wrestling in high school gyms or bingo halls in front of 50 people a night; he's been a major player in the 2nd largest wrestling company in the world for more than a decade.

 

[Kyphael]

The problem is, Heyman is the only mouth piece in the WWE worth a damn, everyone else sucks and doesn't even come close, and Nakamura would not go well with Heyman because Heyman is a natural heel and might overshadow Nakamura with his long-winded promos while Nakamura just stands there... awkwardly. However, to be at the top, Nakamura DOES need a mouth piece, because of media appearances and whatnot, it's a tough situation.

Maybe Daniel Bryan could advocate for Shinsuke? He's gotten pretty good on the microphone and the two men have history, the problem is, Bryan is still over himself and he and Nakamura would be competing for pops. I can't think of a GREAT, face mouth piece that wouldn't cramp Nakamura's style, and would talk just enough to get the message across.

I'd say maybe Nakamura doesn't need a mouth piece, and his limited English is enough, but again, to succeed in WWE you do, from communicating with McMahon to all the office people, the Godawful writers, and again, outside appearances.

But yeah, no f'n Funaki, first, because he hardly speaks English better and second, because he's a Goddamn joke of a scrub and comedy act.

Actually, with his style and charisma, maybe a face female mouth piece wouldn't be bad with Nakamura, like a face Alexa Bliss? I like her promo delivery and she's the type of heel fans don't hate, she's just labeled a heel for being mean but one could turn her on a dime.

 

[S.J. Maximus]

Because of the NXT bias, everyone who debuts from there is instantly at the top of their respective divisions, and that's NOT how it should be. They should debut at the bottom of the main roster. But thanks to Triple H's bias towards his "baby", NXT, wrestlers no longer have to pay their dues. If you were over in the farm league, you're instantly at the top of WWE. It's wrong, but it's the way it is now.

I'm in the middle. I honestly think the idea of Nakamura debuting in the main event is ridiculous and was completely shocked to see it happen to Balor, but to say that all NXT guys should immediately enter at the bottom of the main event is both wrong and unfair to the talent.

While NXT might be "developmental" there are plenty of veterans on the show that have been successful in the business well before the homegrown guys who are currently on the main roster. To say Ryder is a better wrestler than Bobby Roode because he's on RAW and Roode is on NXT is both an incorrect and ignorant statement, so I would stay away from generalizing the two brands like that.

As for Nakamura, I like him and love his theme (I attended NXT Takevoer last night and can be seen behind the violinist during his theme, it was awesome) but there is literally no way I can see him as 'The Guy' in all of WWE right now. WWE has become such a global phenomenon, an entity that Vince wants to be so in tune with pop culture that the mere idea of seeing Nakamura on Conan O'Brien or live on The View is laughable at best. I think the IWC always seems to forget that there's more to WWE than just pure wrestling/in ring action, and while they're catering more to these fans they still have to also stroke Vince's ego. Only the complete package gets to reach the mountaintop, and in WWE the guys who are 8-10 out of 10 on the mic and 5-7 out of 10 in the ring seem to get more shine than vice versa (looking at you Miz).

You can try to convince me or yourself all you want that Nakamura is the most charismatic guy in the world and a megastar but the fact remains he is not the complete package and he can barely speak the English language. There's a reason why Japanese born wrestlers have traditionally struggled to succeed in WWE, and while Nakamura has broken a lot of those barriers I don't think he has what it takes at this point in time to just come up to RAW and be the man. I'm not saying he won't eventually be able to do it, but I definitely don't see him doing it in the near future.

 

[Sean Valjean]

The problem is, Heyman is the only mouth piece in the WWE worth a damn, everyone else sucks and doesn't even come close, and Nakamura would not go well with Heyman because Heyman is a natural heel and might overshadow Nakamura with his long-winded promos while Nakamura just stands there... awkwardly. However, to be at the top, Nakamura DOES need a mouth piece, because of media appearances and whatnot, it's a tough situation.

Maybe Daniel Bryan could advocate for Shinsuke? He's gotten pretty good on the microphone and the two men have history, the problem is, Bryan is still over himself and he and Nakamura would be competing for pops. I can't think of a GREAT, face mouth piece that wouldn't cramp Nakamura's style, and would talk just enough to get the message across.

I'd say maybe Nakamura doesn't need a mouth piece, and his limited English is enough, but again, to succeed in WWE you do, from communicating with McMahon to all the office people, the Godawful writers, and again, outside appearances.

But yeah, no f'n Funaki, first, because he hardly speaks English better and second, because he's a Goddamn joke of a scrub and comedy act.

Actually, with his style and charisma, maybe a face female mouth piece wouldn't be bad with Nakamura, like a face Alexa Bliss? I like her promo delivery and she's the type of heel fans don't hate, she's just labeled a heel for being mean but one could turn her on a dime.

Perhaps if Nakamura was John Cena S-Rank star, but he won't be. He'll just be a big star and doesn't need a mouthpiece to succeed in that spot. The last thing you want do to with a guy who oozes charisma like Shinsuke is to have someone else speak for him all the time. Besides, his English is quite good. He can have conversations without much trouble and always gets his point across clearly. I also think his unique speaking style actually adds to the flamboyance of his character.

Shinksuke will almost assuredly be a top star. He's among the very few to have that "It" factor. He's alluring, he's entertaining, he's funny, and he's a killer in the ring. It'll take one appearance on the main roster and he'll be over and I'm not exaggerating. He's that magnetic.

I'd personally book him the way they have in NXT: have him run through a few guys for several months before challenging for the World Title. That way fans can acclimate to him and actually want to see him in the top spot. But regardless, Nakamura is pretty much a made man in my book.

 

[Dave]

He is a fantastic Wrestler. But what's more, he has a fantastic entrance theme... Just kidding.

That said, I wasn't disappointed to see him win the NXT Championship last night. He's done very well since he came to NXT and has a slew of fantastic matches with other fantastic wrestlers. In terms of pure wrestling ability, he is close to the top on the list of WWE talents. But I just worry about his credentials when he eventually makes the move to the main roster, which will happen. The lack of fluent English, even though it shouldn't, worries me that he is isn't going to translate and that he will be lost in the mid card.

That said, the WWE seem more willing than ever to give some people out of NXT a bit of time on their TV shows to have good matches and that has only been helped by the brand extension. The likes of Owens, Zayn and Balor have shown that they will go out and entertain the masses if you give them the time to do it on TV and PPV. I am glad to say that the WWE have been accomplishing that lately and that, with that in mind, Nakamura will have no problem winning people over with his sheer talent in the ring.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

Because of the NXT bias, everyone who debuts from there is instantly at the top of their respective divisions, and that's NOT how it should be. They should debut at the bottom of the main roster. But thanks to Triple H's bias towards his "baby", NXT, wrestlers no longer have to pay their dues. If you were over in the farm league, you're instantly at the top of WWE. It's wrong, but it's the way it is now.

Two things
#1 being in NXT for over a year or two before heading to the main roster is paying your dues. Guys like Samoa Joe, Finn Balor, Kevin Owens all have years of experience and being in the NXT roster means they are willing to work in a developmental territory for a few more years to learn a lot more before jumping the main roster.

#2 How does that explain AJ Styles?

 

[Psykohurricane55]

I always been of the old school thinking that it doesn't matter what you did in the past when you sign with wwe, it was you do in wwe that count. I'm not surprise that nakamura as climb to the top of nxt because while not a great wrestler, he as that rare charisma that just makes you want to watch everything he does,

The thing is, it's all well and good being the top guy in nxt because our the big fish in a small pond, but as proven by guys like neville, bo dallas, samy zayn and many others nxt main eventers, it's a complete different thing on the main roster, you have to prove to vince that you deserve one of the top spot on raw or smackdown so for nakamura, he will have to step up his game and prove himself to vince that he deserve a top spot and the way to do this is by getting a huge pop when he debut on the main rosters and keeping that huge fan reaction for months after his debut. If he's not able to do that, he wll get stuck in the midcard with most of the other nxt alumni.

 

[Papa Pillman]

I'm guessing Nakamura will be in the upper card, near the main event level as soon as he is elevated to the main roster, and depending on how that goes he may be in the title picture sooner than later. Basically, I expect him to start around the level K.O. and AJ did when they made their main roster debuts.

I also don't expect him to have nearly as long of a stay in NXT as Finn, I'd say the night after next year's Mania is the absolute longest that they can wait to debut him on Raw (or SmackDown Live the Tuesday immediately following Mania, which I expect they'll do in the same city like they do for Raw).

With spam requirements out of the way, my real reason for posting was to ask a previous poster a question...

I'm not surprise that nakamura as climb to the top of nxt because while not a great wrestler, he as that rare charisma that just makes you want to watch everything he does,

Would you mind elaborating on this assessment??

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

I always been of the old school thinking that it doesn't matter what you did in the past when you sign with wwe, it was you do in wwe that count. I'm not surprise that nakamura as climb to the top of nxt because while not a great wrestler, he as that rare charisma that just makes you want to watch everything he does,

I think it's a case to case basis. I mean AJ Styles was called up in the main roster immediately and no one can argue it's all worked out very well for both him and the WWE. I think Styles, though, has enough experience and market value to the point he didn't go through NXT.

The thing is, it's all well and good being the top guy in nxt because our the big fish in a small pond, but as proven by guys like neville, bo dallas, samy zayn and many others nxt main eventers, it's a complete different thing on the main roster, you have to prove to vince that you deserve one of the top spot on raw or smackdown so for nakamura, he will have to step up his game and prove himself to vince that he deserve a top spot and the way to do this is by getting a huge pop when he debut on the main rosters and keeping that huge fan reaction for months after his debut. If he's not able to do that, he wll get stuck in the midcard with most of the other nxt alumni.

I think the difference between NXT and the main roster isn't that much different. Granted NXT is done in smaller scale the production values and quality of the show is similar to that of WWE's main shows. Also with the WWE Network a lot of NXT's roster have a lot more recognition value than previous developmental shows like OVW, FCW and pre-WWE Network NXT.

The Network has 1.8 Million subscribers and RAW's last show had 2.9 Million viewers. So were looking at a very sizable chunk of the audience with easy access to NXT programming.

 

[timothy26]

NXT is hardly a developmental territory at this point. I mean Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, Nakamura, Hideo and now Bobby Roode to name a few were the top guys in other promotions. It's more a half-developmental, half-catering to the IWC audience now.

I think the reason they pulled the trigger so quick with Balor is because they probably were looking to make him a top star on the main roster, he was the face of NXT for perhaps longer than they initially planned and all of a sudden he's 35 so they thought it's really now or never.

I think on the main roster Shinsuke will be more of a special attraction / upper mid carder who they will place in dream matches but probably keep away from the title scene, in the way that Styles has done during his feuds with Jericho and Cena, he didn't really need a title. Or, if booked properly, he could really elevate, say the IC title.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

As for Shinsuke Nakamura he's got a ton a charisma, does good promos considering English isn't his 1st language, and good in the ring.

From what I have seen in his Takeover matches with Samoa Joe and Austin Aries is the one thing he really needs to work on is his selling ability. He didn't sell his knee in his match with Joe and his in post match celebrations he should make an effort in showing how tough the match was.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

I'm guessing Nakamura will be in the upper card, near the main event level as soon as he is elevated to the main roster, and depending on how that goes he may be in the title picture sooner than later. Basically, I expect him to start around the level K.O. and AJ did when they made their main roster debuts.

I also don't expect him to have nearly as long of a stay in NXT as Finn, I'd say the night after next year's Mania is the absolute longest that they can wait to debut him on Raw (or SmackDown Live the Tuesday immediately following Mania, which I expect they'll do in the same city like they do for Raw).

With spam requirements out of the way, my real reason for posting was to ask a previous poster a question...


Would you mind elaborating on this assessment??

Sure I would, what I mean by that, not to insult his fans, is that he got a limited moveset which consist mostly of kicks and punch. Is match seem to be very limited and if it wasn't for his charisma, his matches wouldn't be as entertaining.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

"Over" in front of crowds especially geared towards loving you doesn't necessarily mean "over" in reality.

Bear in mind, I'm probably one of the biggest Nakamura fans on the site, but nothing is ever a sure thing when it comes to the deep, deep waters of mind-bogglingly shitty main roster booking.

Is Nak so overwhelming that he can overcome whatever they give him? Probably.

Lets not go losing our minds though.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Sure I would, what I mean by that, not to insult his fans, is that he got a limited moveset which consist mostly of kicks and punch. Is match seem to be very limited and if it wasn't for his charisma, his matches wouldn't be as entertaining.

It sure is a good thing then that moveset has nothing to do with what makes a good wrestler.

John Cena Hulk Hogan Steve Austin and The Rock all say hello.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

Exactly, the most important thing is how you connect with the audience just look at all the great wrestlers like apollo crews., neville and others that even connect with the crowd. Those guys have great moveset but no personality and they are stuck in the midcard. Nakamura doesn't have that problem, he's so charismatic that he can get away with a limited moveset. He in the same class as cena, austin, hogan, flair, hbk and all those major guys as far as charisma are concern so unless something happen were the crowd doesn't except him, he's probably be able to get over as a top talent on the main roster.

 

[Papa Pillman]

Sure I would, what I mean by that, not to insult his fans, is that he got a limited moveset which consist mostly of kicks and punch. Is match seem to be very limited and if it wasn't for his charisma, his matches wouldn't be as entertaining.

I'm just going to chalk it up to you not really having much familiarity with Nakamura prior to a small handful of matches under the WWE/NXT banner, and therefore having a limited knowledge of the extent of his bag of tricks. As well as to your having a certain level of ignorance toward the traditional Japanese style in general, which puts an emphasis on an approach to striking and grappling in a manner that doesn't necessarily reflect how American workers have traditionally employed their move choices. But, as such, lets be clear that what that does not make Nakamura is somehow "less great" at his craft than whoever in your mind best employs whatever type of moveset it is that most appeals to you.

 

[The Decrypter]

You guys gotta be some form of stupid to be arguing this. I can't believe I had to sign in just to tell you nimrods that he will be in the main event the moment he debuts. He's the most over guy in WWE period right now. If you guys cannot see that, then you're all a bunch of simpletons.

 

[LegendKiller97]

Nakamura should be placed high on the card. It least in that Upper Mid Card to start. He's awesome. He's been doing this for a long time and is really good at it. He could finally be that Asian star that the company needs. Why not push him hard from the get go? If the guy deserves it he deserves it.

NXT is a great way for the WWE to begin introducing it's fanbase to talents that they bring in.

 

[ヒュー　G.　レックション]

Nakamura right now is the only talent I can envision being able to beat current Lesnar cleanly. And yeah I think he should absolutely be the one to do it!

 

[Psykohurricane55]

You guys gotta be some form of stupid to be arguing this. I can't believe I had to sign in just to tell you nimrods that he will be in the main event the moment he debuts. He's the most over guy in WWE period right now. If you guys cannot see that, then you're all a bunch of simpletons.

He might be the most over guy in wwe right now but that's on nxt, when you get called up to the main roster, it's a complete different thing. On the main roster, you can be super over with the live crowd but if you don't bring ratings to the show you're on and don't move merchandise, then you may start in the main event but you will go back down the card super quickly unless something change. Daniel bryan was the perfect exemple of a guy that was over with the live crowd but didn't sell merchandise or brought in ratings. He wrote it in his book that when they tried to push him to the main event when he beat cena at summerslam, they gave him a shot at the main event and while he was over, he fail to bring the ratings up in fact they went down during that period.

That what nakamura as waiting for him on the main roster. The old school fan in me wouldn't rush him to the main event level right away, I would start him on the mid card, have him wrestles matches with guys like sami zayn, cesaro and sheamus so that the casual fans that don't watch nxt gets to know him and slowly but surely in around half of year, move him to the main event level. Don't rush with this guy because they got a rare breed of wrestler with nakamura. A wrestler that can have great match but has a tone of charisma and he's able to tell a story while wrestling which is a lost art right now and rushing him to the main event just to capitalize on the fact that he's over will just burn him and he won't get as long of a career in wwe because fans will turn on him if they feel like he's been forced in the main event. Let his rise being organic just like they did in nxt.

 

[ShinChan]

I think that he should be getting a push similar to AJ Styles'.

Styles took 4 months to main event a PPV and 8 months to win the World Title.

I think that keep Nakamura away from World Title for his initial year. Instead give him a long InterContinental title run after 3-4 months of call-up. Let him elevate the title like Cena did with US title and then keep a showdown with World Champion, say AJ Styles.

That would make InterContinental title of more value.

Nakamura was doing great as InterContinental Champion in NJPW and he is one of the greatest InterContinental Champions out there. Let him repeat it in WWE before he eventually wins the World Title. I don't know why but I am somewhat doubtful of him winning the ultimate one.