Meet Shinsuke Nakamura, the Ichiro of the WWE
Anthony Sulla-Heffinger
The TurnstileMar 31, 2017, 2:13 PM
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Shinsuke Nakamura has become one of the most popular wrestlers in the world during his career. (Photo courtesy of WWE)
Sure, baseball stateside had seen Japanese players before – Hideo Nomo and Hideki Irabu come to mind – but Suzuki was different, he was the first Japanese position player to sign with a major league team and his first year was legendary, capturing the American League Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards.
What Ichiro did for baseball all those years ago is what Shinsuke Nakamura is doing for the WWE today.
Nakamura, who made his WWE debut last year at NXT TakeOver Dallas during WrestleMania 32 weekend, has quickly become one of the most popular wrestlers under the company’s umbrella, and in less than a year, has changed the way American fans consume the experience.