Shinsuke Nakamura - wrestler, entertainer, showman.... everything the WWE needs...

The online wrestling world has been buzzing lately. What is all the hype about?

AJ Styles. Shinsuke Nakamura. Doc Gallows. Karl Anderson.

These names from New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) have been mentioned as *possible* future WWE signings by the wrestling media. Nothing has been officially confirmed. WWE.com decided to jump on the hype, uncharacteristically acknowledging a rival promotion. Wait, NJPW is competition? Well with the WWE Network launching in Japan, yes they are competition.

Of the stars that are potentially on their way to WWE, Shinsuke Nakamura is the most interesting one. Why Nakamura? A quick history lesson. In 2004, I recall watching a TV channel here in the UK called 'The Wrestling Channel'. The channel holds a special place in my wrestling memory. It gave us NOAH, NJPW, GAEA, ROH and many other promotions. As a fan of international wrestling, you would usually have to search online for DVDs that you could purchase. YouTube hadn't taken off yet.

One evening, when browsing the channel, I settled on a New Japan show. I saw a rookie by the name of Shinsuke Nakamura. A very competent wrestler, portraying excellent technique, but otherwise generally unremarkable.

The Wrestling Channel soon shut down. Over the years, I would continue reading about Nakamura online. However, I didn't bother to seek out any of his matches.

Fast-forward to 2015. More specifically January 2015. People were raving about a NJPW show. Incredible action. Great drama. Five star performances. Their version of WrestleMania. I was intrigued. I checked it out. Wrestle Kingdom 9. Oh look. It's Shinsuke Nakamura. Yet, he looks different? As I watched Nakamura's entrance to the ring, I was in awe. He had re-branded himself. The rookie from 2004 had changed. The new and improved Nakamura was dubbed the 'King of Strongstyle'. His mannerisms and movements appeared to be eccentric. There was charisma and lots of it. Even before he stepped into the ring, I was sold on Nakamura. The 'X factor' or the 'IT factor'. That special something which makes a wrestler marketable. Nakamura had it in spades.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kota Ibushi from Wrestle Kingdom 9. One of the best matches I have ever seen. Once the match had started, Nakamura showed everyone why he is known as one of the best wrestlers on the planet. He has quite the repertoire of submissions and strikes. His finisher, the Boma-Ye knee strike, is incredibly effective. Similar to Randy Orton's RKO, he can hit it from anywhere and at any time. I don't want to take anything away from Kota Ibushi. He is an incredible talent. They wrestled what I would define as a near perfect match.

So if Nakamura comes to the WWE after his contract expires with NJPW, why should we care?

1) We need someone, anyone, anything... to make the three hour Raw broadcasts easier to watch. Nakamura would be an injection of much needed energy.

2) Nakamura is one of the best wrestlers on the planet - I touched on this above. He will have entertaining matches with WWE's roster. Whether he needs time to adjust to the 'WWE style' (like Hideo Itami) remains to be seen...

3) Nakamura presents himself in a very unique manner. Have a look at his Wrestle Kingdom 9 entrance. How can WWE not have an interest in promoting such as star?

4) With WWE launching their network in Japan, a popular star like Nakamura would possibly help to drive subscriptions. Does that mean WWE will treat Nakamura with respect and avoid the stereotypical gimmicks we have seen in years past?

I am curious as to how HHH would book Nakamura in NXT. You could then compare this to Vince McMahon booking him on the main roster. I would imagine that WWE would have to offer Nakamura a competitive salary to get him away from NJPW - in which case, a main roster debut seems more likely.

Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles and anyone else WWE is trying to acquire from NJPW should shake things up - if they are booked well. It's all about the booking!

To quote Fin Balor, 'they should have been here by now...'

They should have been here by now....

A photo posted by Finn Bálor (@wwebalor) on Jan 6, 2016 at 6:26am PST

Using Daniel Bryan's MMA and grappling skills as a draw for SummerSlam

I appreciate what WWE is trying to do with Daniel Bryan as we lead up to SummerSlam. They build him up as an underdog who is persistent. That is fine.

Now it is time to put over how dangerous he is. His grappling skills are well known and celebrated.

The Xtreme Couture MMA gym has put over how good he is. So why is this not being promoted on tv? This would do a lot for Bryan's credibility, and build him up as a real threat to John Cena. This surely would lead to more people watching SummerSlam, in the interests of seeing whether Bryan can unseat Cena?

The Kings of Wrestling - a solution to WWE's tag division stagnation?

It is clear. WWE's tag team division is not what it used to be. Since the glory days of the Smackdown Six (Benoit & Angle, Los Gurerros and Edge & Mysterio), something has been lacking. Many fans will also recall the days of the Dudleys, Edge & Christian and the Hardys.

Despite reports over the years of WWE refocussing on the division, nothing really came of it. The number of established teams was minimal. An exciting tag division can add real depth to the roster, and provide fans with variety.

There is now an interesting opportunity at hand. The Shield have been dominating the tag division over the last year. Harper and Rowan from the Wyatt family have been introduced. The Usos are getting a push it would seem.

Now could be the time to make the division into something special. Break Chris Hero (Kassius Ohno) out of developmental. Team him up with Antonio Cesaro. Re-kindle the magic that they had as the Kings of Wrestling. Yes, it is probably too much to ask for Vince to pay for Queen's 'We are the Champions'. Regardless, the Kings of Wrestling would be fresh and interesting. Battles with the Shield, the Usos and the Wyatts would make for good matches at least.

WWE needs to trust in Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan has seen a meteoric rise to the top of WWE. In a time when WWE is lacking legitimate top tier main-event stars that can draw, it is time for WWE to take a chance on Bryan.

Think back to the Attitude Era - Mick Foley, HHH, The Rock, Steve Austin, The Undertaker, Vince McMahon, Kurt Angle, Kane, Chris Jericho, and others were all a staple part of main-event WWE programming.

The number of current established main-event stars could be described as: Cena, Punk and Orton as the top three, followed by Del Rio , Sheamus, Big Show and Kane. In my opinion, once Orton / Cena / Punk are removed from the picture, the current group really struggles to compare to the previous era. The depth of talent at the top is clearly smaller.

 It is clear. WWE needs to build to the future. How much longer does CM Punk have in the ring? This is man who has one goal left in the business, to main-event Wrestlemania. His frustration dealing with the system is well documented. This is a man that could leave when his contract is up and not look back.

John Cena started wrestling for WWE in 2002. He grew into the company's number one star. Years of carrying that mantle must take a toll on the mind and body. Whilst Cena appears to thrive under the pressure, how much longer will his body hold together? Steve Austin remarked on Twitter recently that Cena should look after his health - perhaps implying the need to slow down to preserve his long-term career.

Randy Orton  is on strike number two of the Wellness Policy. It is indeed surprising that he won Money in the Bank, indicating perhaps that the company is willing to trust him as a firm fixture in the main-event scene. However, how long till strike three?

So, if Cena, Punk and Orton all departed, what would the WWE be left with in the main-event scene? Del Rio vs Big Show for an eternity?

Therefore, the WWE must take a risk with Daniel Bryan. Arguably, he rivals Cena in terms of crowd reactions. Some would say he is already a main-eventer based on reaction alone. It's just that WWE does not seem to fully accept him as a main-eventer. Bryan's road to SummerSlam hopefully allows for complete company and fan acceptance of his main-event status. If WWE are to build for the future, Daniel Bryan needs to win the title. Cena will not lose any momentum. Not only that, Bryan should walk out of SummerSlam still as the champion - i.e. no Orton cash-in.

Let him run with the title for two or three months. See what impact this has on ratings, house show attendance and PPV buys. More importantly, make him look strong. Daniel Bryan presented as a lame duck champion who struggles to win matches convincingly will not help his cause. WWE need to take a chance with Daniel Bryan as a fully fledged main-event star who overcomes John Cena. They have no choice. 

The future will soon be calling, and if WWE are not careful, they will have little  to show for it in the main-event scene.

Bray Wyatt - the next Austin? Punk? Cena? No. The next Bray Wyatt.

Bray Wyatt. An incredibly charismatic performer. A man who knows how to entertain on the mic, and he certainly is not too bad in the ring either.

Since watching his two promo videos on Raw, I went looking for some of his NXT material. Watching him come to the ring cutting promos made me think: in one year, this man will be your world champion. He will also be one of the most over guys on the WWE roster - in my opinion.

This is a superstar in the making. Just listen to this promo. It reminds me of Mick Foley, Raven and others - all masterful on the mic.

Ah but wait... he has to negotiate the road through WWE Creative.

Oh dear.

Daniel Bryan - Yes, Yes, Yes - Push him now!

In replying to a post at www.wrestlingforum.com, I came to an interesting realisation. 

The evidence base for pushing Daniel Bryan to the main event is overwhelming.

To quote from my reply:


"Seemingly, the 2nd most over guy in the company.
One of the best wrestlers on the roster.
One of the most charismatic guys on the roster.
Works well with any other worker.
Has made Kane look like a million dollars.
Has been comedic gold - which is a huge achievement, considering that most WWE comedy falls flat.
Has remained consistently over for more than a year now."

So... what is WWE waiting for?

Daniel Bryan's new found aggression could be WWE's way of getting fans to take him more seriously. It is also predicting a heel turn. 

However, my preferred version of Daniel Bryan as a heel is the character he played whilst ROH Champion - the best wrestler in the world, methodical and submission based, who could tie you up in knots and make you tap, whilst being very smug about it - getting under the fans' skin. He pulled that off with great success - a heel character that is very different to his current more energetic  and comedic role in WWE.

Wyatt Family - Fantastic debut promo

I have watched this several times since it aired on Raw. An incredible promo, a true credit to the WWE production team. Also, a testament to the talent of the Wyatt Family.

This appears to be something a little more mature than what we are accustomed to in the PG era.

I can't wait.