10. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Tomohiro Ishii – G1 Climax 24 Day 7
Shinsuke Nakamura has been one of the most charismatic performers in wrestling for the last decade. While he has been unable to continue his string of great matches consistently into WWE, we have taken the time to list ten matches of his you need to see.
The first on the list is his match against Tomohiro Ishii. While both men compete for the same faction, that did not stop them from trying to tear each other apart in the 24th G1 Climax. Both men are very charismatic but in completely different ways. While Nakamura embodies a pop star, Ishii is a pitbull.
Their styles are more similar. Both are students of the Strong Style of wrestling but while Nakamura focuses on being more precise, Ishii will throw his body at you to try and win. This contrast helps make this a very physical match but also one filled with drama. The match is now available with English commentary on NJPWWorld so if you have a chance go and check it out.
9. Shinsuke Nakamura & Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Tetsuya Naito – Road To Tokyo Dome 2013
Talk about a match loaded with star power. These were the four biggest stars in New Japan before Nakamura left in 2016 and here he teamed with fellow Chaos member Kazuchika Okada to face their Wrestle Kingdom 8 opponents Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tetsuya Naito.
New Japan has often main evented the final show before Wrestle Kingdom with a massive tag match. This was no different and it didn’t disappoint. The final sequence of this match was about as good as it gets as all four men tried their best to finish off the other team before the time limit expired. Eventually, everyone lay in the ring completely spent. Funny enough, this match was better than either of the double main event matches at Wrestle Kingdom 8.
8. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Bobby Roode – NXT Takeover: Orlando
While NXT Takeover: Orlando was one of the most forgotten Takeover shows in NXT’s history, it did feature the sendoff of Shinsuke Nakamura. Nakamura had been a two-time NXT Champion and was attempting to win it for the third time. Bobby Roode had defeated him for the title in January and this was the rematch.
This is a criminally underrated match. It has been completely forgotten in the lineage of great NXT main events but it stands as maybe the best match in either man’s NXT tenure. It was just that good. Nakamura was unable to regain his title but those in attendance knew they were saying goodbye to him. After this match he was called up to the main roster and we know what happened next.
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