Shinsuke Nakamura

World Wrestling Entertainment

Real name: Shinsuke Nakamura
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 230 lbs.
Date of birth: February 24, 1980
Hometown: Mineyama, Japan
Pro debut: August 29, 2002
Trained by: Inoki Dojo, New Japan Dojo, Osamu Kido
Finishing move: Boma Ye

Biography

– In Nakamura’s debut match, he was defeated by Tadao Yasuda
– On January 4, 2003, Nakamura & Michiyoshi Ohara defeated Kazunari Murakami & Tadao Yasuda (his first professional win)
– On May 2, 2003, Nakamura defeated Jan Nortje under Ultimate Crush Rules (his first singles victory)
– On December 9, 2003, Nakamura defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan to win the IWGP Heavyweight Title
– On January 4, 2004, Nakamura defeated Yoshihiro Takayama to unify the NWF Heavyweight Title with the IWGP Heavyweight Title
– On February 5, 2004, Nakamura was forced to vacate the IWGP Heavyweight Title through injury
– On October 17, 2004, Nakamura, Blue Wolf & Katsuhiko Nakajima defeated Katsuyori Shibata, Mitsuya Nagai & Ryota Chikuzen to win the Yuko Tag Team Tournament. The trio defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Togi Makabe & Yutaka Yoshie to reach the final
– On October 24, 2004, Nakamura & Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated Katsuyori Shibata & Masahiro Chono to win the President Hoshino 10 Million Yen Tournament. The pair defeated Mitsuya Nagai & Toshiaki Kawada to reach the final
– On December 11, 2004, Nakamura & Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Minoru Suzuki & Yoshihiro Takayama to win the IWGP Tag Team Titles
– On January 4, 2005, Nakamura defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi to win the IWGP U-30 Title
– On January 30, 2005, Nakamura & Tanahashi defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Yuji Nagata to retain the IWGP Tag Team Titles
– On March 13, 2005, Nakamura & Tanahashi defeated Manabu Nakanishi & Scott Norton to retain the IWGP Tag Team Titles
– On March 26, 2005, Nakamura fought IWGP Heavyweight Champion Satoshi Kojima to a time-limit draw
– On May 14, 2005, Nakamura & Tanahashi defeated Kendo Kashin & Manabu Nakanishi to retain the IWGP Tag Team Titles
– In September 2005, Nakamura embarked on a tour of Mexico
– On September 30, 2005, Nakamura & Tanahashi defeated Rey Bucanero & Olimpico to retain the IWGP Tag Team Titles
– On November 6, 2006, Nakamura & Masahiro Chono defeated Koji Kanemoto & Hiroshi Tanahashi to win the NJPW G1 Climax Tag League
– On November 17, 2006, Nakamura & Koji Kanemoto defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi & Naofumi Yamamoto to win the NJPW National Area Tag Tournament. The pair previously defeated Jushin Liger & Manabu Nakanishi to reach the final
– On January 4, 2008, Nakamura defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi to win the IWGP Heavyweight Title
– On January 22, 2008, Nakamura made an appearance on TNA Xplosion, defeating Elix Skipper
– On February 17, 2008, Nakamura defeated Kurt Angle to unify the NJPW and IGF versions of the IWGP Heavyweight Title
– On March 9, 2008, RISE (Nakamura & Giant Bernard) fought IWGP Tag Team Champions Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Toru Yano) to a no contest
– On March 30, 2008, Nakamura defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Title
– On January 4, 2009, RISE (Nakamura & Hirooki Goto) defeated Mitsuharu Misawa & Takashi Sugiurab
– On September 27, 2009, Nakamura defeated Togi Makabe to win the vacant IWGP Heavyweight Title
– On October 12, 2009, Nakamura defeated Shinjiro Otani to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Title
– On November 8, 2009, Nakamura defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Title
– On December 5, 2009, Nakamura defeated Yuji Nagata to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Title
– On January 4, 2010, Nakamura defeated Yoshihiro Takayama to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Title
– On February 14, 2010, Nakamura defeated Manabu Nakanishi to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Title
– On April 4, 2010, Nakamura defeated Hirooki Goto to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Title
– In May 2011, Nakamura returned to Mexico
– On August 14, 2011, Nakamura defeated Tetsuya Naito to win the NJPW G1 Climax Tournament
– On July 22, 2012, Nakamura defeated Hirooki Goto to win the IWGP Intercontinental Title
– On August 26, 2012, Nakamura made his first American appearance in 4 years, defeating Oliver John to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Title
– On October 8, 2012, Nakamura defeated Hirooki Goto to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Title
– On November 11, 2012, Nakamura defeated Karl Anderson to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Title
– On January 4, 2013, Nakamura defeated Kazushi Sakuraba to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Title
– On January 19, 2013, Nakamura defeated La Sombra to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Title
– At NJPW The New Beginning ’13, Nakamura defeated Kengo Mashimo
– On March 3, 2013, Nakamura defeated Lance Archer to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Title
– At NJPW Invasion Attack ’13, Nakamura defeated Davey Boy Smith Jr to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Title
– At Wrestling Dontaku ’13, Nakamura defeated Shelton Benjamin to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Title
– In May 2013, Nakamura travelled to Mexico to competed for CMLL
– On July 20, 2013, Nakamura defeated La Sombra to regain the IWGP Intercontinental Title, having lost it during his Mexican tour
– At NJPW Destruction ’13, Nakamura defeated Shelton Benjamin to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Title
– At NJPW King of Pro Wrestling ’13, Nakamura defeated Naomichi Marufuji to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Title
– At NJPW Power Struggle ’13, Nakamura defeated Minoru Suzuki to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Title
– On March 23, 2014, Nakamura defeated Bad Luck Fale in the final of a tournament to win the New Japan Cup
– At NJPW Invasion Attack ’14, Nakamura defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi to win the IWGP Intercontinental Title for a third time
– At ROH/NJPW War of the Worlds ’14, Nakamura defeated Kevin Steen
– On May 25, 2014, Nakamura defeated Daniel Gracie to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Title
– Nakamura reached the final of the 2014 G1 Climax Tournament, but lost to Kazuchika Okada
– On September 21, 2014, Nakamura defeated Bad Luck Fale to regain the IWGP Intercontinental Title
– At NJPW Power Struggle ’14, Nakamura defeated Katsuyori Shibata to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Title
– At Wrestle Kingdom 9, Nakamura defeated Kota Ibushi to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Title
– On February 14, 2015, Nakamura defeated Yuji Nagata to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Title
– At ROH/NJPW War of the Worlds ’15 double-header, Nakamura teamed with Kazuchika Okada to defeat The Briscoes (Mark & Jay) before defeating Jay Lethal, Mark Briscoe & Jushin Liger in a Four Corner Survival Match
– At ROH/NJPW Global Wars ’15, Nakamura defeated ACH
– Nakamura reached the final of the 2015 G1 Climax, but fell at the final hurdle for the second year running, losing this time to Hiroshi Tanahashi
– On September 27, 2015, Nakamura defeated Hirooki Goto to win the IWGP Intercontinental Title
– At NJPW Power Struggle ’15, Nakamura defeated Karl Anderson to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Title
– At Wrestle Kingdom 10, Nakamura defeated AJ Styles to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Title
– On January 12, 2016, it was announced that Nakamura had signed with WWE
– Two weeks later, Nakamura confirmed his upcoming departure from New Japan, handing back the IWGP Intercontinental Title
– On January 30, Nakamura wrestled his final NJPW match, teaming with Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii to defeat Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hirooki Goto & Katsuyori Shibata
– At NXT Takeover: Dallas, Nakamura (in his debut WWE appearance) defeated Sami Zayn
– At NXT Takeover: The End, Nakamura defeated Austin Aries
– At NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II, Nakamura defeated Samoa Joe to win the NXT Title
– On December 3, 2016, Nakamura defeated Samoa Joe at a live event in Osaka to regain the NXT Title, having lost it only two weeks before
– After Wrestlemania 33, Nakamura was moved to the Smackdown roster
– Nakamura made his full WWE in-ring debut at Backlash ’17, defeating Dolph Ziggler
– At Battleground ’17, Nakamura defeated Baron Corbin by DQ, following a low-blow by Corbin
– Nakamura won the 2018 Royal Rumble, last eliminating Roman Reigns. He announced that he would be going on to face WWE Champion AJ Styles at WrestleMania
– At Fastlane ’18, Nakamura defeated Rusev
– Nakamura lost to AJ Styles at WrestleMania 34, and turned heel by attacking Styles after the match
– At The Greatest Royal Rumble, Nakamura fought WWE World Champion AJ Styles to a double countout
– At Backlash ’18, Nakamura fought Styles to a draw in a No-DQ Match after neither man could answer the referee’s 10-count
– At Extreme Rules ’18, Nakamura defeated Jeff Hardy to win the WWE United States Title
– At Summerslam ’18, Nakamura defeated Hardy to retain the WWE United States Title
– On September 18, Nakamura defeated Rusev to retain the WWE United States Title
– A week later, Nakamura fought Tye Dilliger to a no-contest to retain the WWE United States Title
– At Crown Jewel, Nakamura defeated Rusev to retain the WWE United States Title
– On the Royal Rumble ’19 pre-show, Nakamura defeated Rusev to regain the WWE United States Title, having lost it to Rusev barely a month before, but would lose it to R-Truth only two days later
– In February 2019, Nakamura and Rusev formed a tag team, but it fizzled out within a few months
– On the Extreme Rules ’19 pre-show, Nakamura defeated Finn Balor to win the WWE Intercontinental Title
– At Clash of Champions ’19, Nakamura defeated The Miz to retain the WWE Intercontinental Title
– At Elimination Chamber 2020, The Artist Collective (Nakamura, Sami Zayn & Cesaro) defeated Braun Strowman to win the WWE Intercontinental Title for Zayn
– At Extreme Rules ’20, The Artist Collective (Nakamura & Cesaro) defeated The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Big E) in a Tables Match to win the Smackdown Tag Team Titles
– On August 21, 2020, The Artist Collective defeated Lucha House Party (Gran Metalik & Lince Dorado) to retain the Smackdown Tag Team Titles
– On the Clash of Champions pre-show, The Artist Collective defeated Lucha House Party (Lince Dorado & Kalisto) to retain the Smackdown Tag Team Titles
– On June 18, 2021, Nakamura defeated King Corbin to earn Corbin’s King Of The Ring mantr
– On August 13, King Nakamura defeated Apollo Crews to win the WWE Intercontinental Title
– On the September 24 episode of Smackdown, Nakamura defeated Apollo Crews to retain the WWE Intercontinental Title
– On the Survivor Series 2021 pre-show, Nakamura defeated Damian Priest
– Nakamura made a one-night return to NXT on October 18, 2022, defeating Channing Lorenzo
– Nakamura returned to Japan on January 1, 2023, defeating The Great Muta at their New Year 2023 event
– Nakamura was moved to Raw in the 2023 draft
– Nakamura was voted into the GERWECK.NET Hall of Fame on December 31, 2023
– Nakamura sat out the middle of 2024, rehabbing various niggling injuries
– Nakamura returned to Smackdown in November 2024
– At Survivor Series 2024, Nakamura defeated LA Knight to win the WWE United States Title