Shinsuke Nakamura

Shinsuke Nakamura
Nakamura in 2024
Birth nameShinsuke Nakamura
Born (1980-02-24) February 24, 1980 (age 44)
Mineyama, Kyōto, Japan
Spouse(s)
Harumi Maekawa
​
​
(m. 2007)​
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)
  • Banzai[1]
  • King Nakamura
  • Nakamura
  • Shinsuke Nakamura
Billed height6 ft 2 in (188 cm)[2][3]
Billed weight229 lb (104 kg)[2][3]
Billed fromKyoto, Japan
Trained by
DebutAugust 29, 2002[3][6]

Shinsuke Nakamura (Japanese: 中邑 真輔, Hepburn: Nakamura Shinsuke, born February 24, 1980) is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand.

Nakamura is known for his time in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a former three-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, with his first reign coming at the age of 23 years and 9 months; making Nakamura the youngest IWGP Heavyweight Champion. His other accomplishments within the company include winning the 2011 G1 Climax and the 2014 New Japan Cup, and being the final IWGP Third Belt Champion, the final NWF Heavyweight Champion, and the longest reigning IWGP Intercontinental Champion for his first reign (he formerly held the record for most reigns at five). He is also a founding member and the original leader of the stable Chaos.

Vividly unrestrained and expressive, Nakamura portrays a wildly random and erratic mixed martial arts enigma, emotionally charged by the sound of violins.[7][8][9] A pre-WWE gimmick, Nakamura played the character in other wrestling companies that he was contracted to prior.[10] Nakamura's wrestling style is not merely gimmick as he has notably competed in mixed martial arts, amassing a 3–1 (1) record.

Prior to his main roster debut in WWE, Nakamura competed in the company's NXT brand, where he became a two-time NXT Champion. In January 2018, Nakamura won the 2018 Men's Royal Rumble match, and later won the WWE United States Championship twice. He won the Intercontinental Championship for the first time in 2019 at Extreme Rules, making him the second wrestler (behind Chris Jericho) to hold both WWE and IWGP Intercontinental Championships. Nakamura is also a former WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champion with Cesaro. From July 2021 to October of the same year, Nakamura dubbed himself King Nakamura due to being in possession of the King of the Ring crown, although he never won the tournament, instead defeating reigning King of the Ring Baron Corbin in a "Battle for the Crown" match. Overall, Nakamura is a five-time world champion in professional wrestling.

  1. ^ "Shinsuke Nakamura". WrestlingData. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Shinsuke Nakamura". WWE. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference NJPW was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Entourage « Antonio Inoki « Wrestlers Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Archived from the original on May 7, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  5. ^ a b c "Cagematch profile". Cagematch. Retrieved December 9, 2009.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference PuroCentral was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Clark, Tom (March 1, 2019). "Jeff Hardy and Shinsuke Nakamura Will Shine in New Feud". Daily DDT. United States. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  8. ^ Matthews, Graham (October 7, 2017). "Shane McMahon, Shinsuke Nakamura and Biggest WWE Hell in a Cell 2017 Wild Cards". Bleacher Report. United States. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  9. ^ Dilbert, Ryan (April 5, 2018). "MMA, Mahjong and the Evolution of WWE's Shinsuke Nakamura". Bleacher Report. United States. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  10. ^ Hammond, Scott (July 26, 2019). "'I Don't Get It': Shinsuke Nakamura". VultureHound. United States. Retrieved February 26, 2022.