Shinsuke Nakamura
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese
professional wrestler and mixed martial artist
currently working for New Japan Pro Wrestling
, where he is a former three-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion.
and on December 31, 2002, he made his mixed martial arts
debut in a match, where he was defeated by Daniel Gracie
via submission to an armlock. Nakamura's second MMA match took place on May 2, 2003, when he defeated Jan Nortje
with a guillotine choke
. He followed that up on September 13 with another submission victory over Shane Eitner in his third MMA match. On December 9, 2003, Nakamura defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan
for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, thus becoming the youngest wrestler in history to win the title. On January 4, 2004, at Wrestling World 2004 Nakamura successfully defended the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against the NWF Heavyweight Champion
Yoshihiro Takayama
in a title unification match. However, just a month later Nakamura was forced to vacate the title due to an injury. After returning from his injury Nakamura competed in his to date last MMA match, defeating Alexey Ignashov
with a forearm choke on May 22, 2004. On December 11, 2004, Nakamura and his tag team partner Hiroshi Tanahashi
defeated Kensuke Sasaki
and Minoru Suzuki
in a decision match to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship. On January 4, 2005, at Toukon Festival ~ Wrestling World 2005 Nakamura defeated his own tag team partner, Tanahashi, to win the IWGP U-30 Championship
. During Nakamura's and Tanahashi tag team title reign, the two left for an excursion to Mexico
, where they feuded with Los Guerreros del Infierno
and defended their titles against Rey Bucanero
and Olímpico
. A few weeks later, on October 30, 2005, they lost the titles to Cho-Ten
(Masahiro Chono
and Hiroyoshi Tenzan).
for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship on January 4, 2006, at Toukon Shidou Chapter 1, but lost. In March 2006, Nakamura announced that he would depart on a learning excursion in order to further improve his wrestling skills. Among other things, he would travel to Mexico, Brazil and Russia, as well as train with Brock Lesnar
at his personal gym in order to gain muscle mass. NJPW President Simon Inoki later suggested that as part of his learning excursion, Nakamura would be loaned to World Wrestling Entertainment to gain experience in working large American shows; this was reportedly at the request of John Laurinaitis
and Dean Malenko
. However, it proved to be mostly speculation and never came to pass, as Nakamura was urgently needed back in New Japan due to Lesnar's departure.
On September 24, 2006, Nakamura made his long awaited return to New Japan, joining Masahiro Chono's BLACK stable, which had the goal of reforming New Japan with Chono as the president and Nakamura as the "Ace". Nakamura had greatly improved his muscular mass during his overseas training and also debuted a new finisher, called the Landslide. On December 10, 2006, Nakamura was unable to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship from then-champion Tanahashi and was again unsuccessful on January 4, 2007 at the Wrestle Kingdom in Tokyo Dome show, which he lost to Toshiaki Kawada
. Nakamura entered the 2007 G1 Climax tournament, where he reached the semifinals, before dislocating his shoulder. The injury sidelined Nakamura for months, but on November 11 he made his return and took over the leadership of BLACK from Chono and reformed the stable under the new name RISE
, consisting of himself, Minoru, Milano Collection A.T., Hirooki Goto
, Giant Bernard, Travis Tomko
, and Prince Devitt
. Low Ki was later added to the stable after Milano was injured, having impressed NJPW officials during an appearance when he was still with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
. On December 9 Nakamura defeated Togi Makabe
to earn an IWGP Heavyweight Championship match at the following month's Tokyo Dome show.
On January 4, 2008, Nakamura defeated his rival Tanahashi in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom II in Tokyo Dome, winning the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for the second time. He followed that up with defeating Kurt Angle
on February 17, 2008 to win the IGF
version of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and unify it with his own NJPW version of the title. He lost the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to All Japan Pro Wrestling
representative Keiji Mutoh
in Osaka on April 27, 2008.
September 5, 2008 Nakamura and stablemate Hirooki Goto challenged Togi Makabe and Toru Yano
for the IWGP Tag Team titles but failed, and afterwards Giant Bernard and Rick Fuller
attacked Nakamura and Goto and joined Makabe's GBH
(Great Bash Heel) group along with the returning Low Ki. He also failed to win back the IWGP Title from Keiji Mutoh on October 13. On February 15, 2009, Nakamura faced Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, but once again failed to regain the title.
with Nakamura as their leader. Nakamura began to work a much rougher style, using a lot of knees and continuing to use a straight right hand as a frequent move in addition to the Boma Ye, his new finisher. It was the Boma Ye that took him to the finals of the 2009 G1 Climax, where he fell to Togi Makabe. Prior to the final Nakamura had gone undefeated, winning each match with the Boma Ye. The move was also credited for fracturing IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi's orbital bone in the semi-finals of the G1, which forced Tanahashi to vacate the title later that month.
On September 27, 2009, Nakamura avenged his G1 loss and defeated Makabe in a decision match to win the IWGP Heavyweight title for a third time. Upon winning the title, Nakamura drew the ire of the likes of Antonio Inoki
by announcing his plan of wanting to restore the "Strong Style" of New Japan by capturing the original IWGP Heavyweight Championship belt from Inoki to replace the fourth generation title belt Nakamura himself has. On October 12, he successfully defended the title against Shinjiro Otani. On November 8 at Destruction '09 Nakamura successfully defended his title against previous champion Hiroshi Tanahashi. On December 5, he retained the title by defeating Yuji Nagata
. On January 4, 2010, at Wrestle Kingdom IV in Tokyo Dome Nakamura successfully defended his IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Yoshihiro Takayama in a rematch of their 2004 Tokyo Dome title unification bout. After defeating Takayama he was challenged by Manabu Nakanishi
, whom he would pin on February 14 at New Japan's ISM show in Sumo Hall, making his fifth defense. On April 4 Nakamura made his sixth successful title defense against the 2010 New Japan Cup winner and former team mate Hirooki Goto and afterwards accepted Togi Makabe's challenge for the title. On May 3, 2010, at Wrestling Dontaku 2010 Nakamura lost the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to Makabe. Following the loss, Nakamura was sidelined with a shoulder injury, until he returned on June 19, defeating Daniel Puder
. Simon Inoki and Atsushi Sawada of IGF appeared at the show and seemed to eye up Nakamura after the match. On July 19 Nakamura received a rematch for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, but was once again defeated by Togi Makabe. The following month Nakamura entered the 2010 G1 Climax, where he won four out of his seven round robin stage matches, including one over eventual winner Satoshi Kojima
, and was leading his block heading to the final day, where he wrestled Pro Wrestling Noah's Go Shiozaki
to a 30 minute time limit draw and thus missed the finals of the tournament by a single point. The draw with Shiozaki led to a No Time Limit match at a Pro Wrestling Noah show on August 22, where Shiozaki was victorious. Despite losing to Hirooki Goto in a number one contender's match on October 11, Nakamura was hand–picked by the new IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Satoshi Kojima, as his first challenger. The title match took place on December 11 and ended with Kojima retaining his title. On January 4, 2011, Nakamura avenged his loss to Go Shiozaki by defeating him in a singles match at Wrestle Kingdom V in Tokyo Dome. On May 3, Nakamura failed in his attempt to regain the IWGP Heavyweight Championship from Hiroshi Tanahashi. On August 1, Nakamura entered the 2011 G1 Climax and, after winning seven out of his nine round robin stage matches, finished first in his block to advance to the finals of the tournament. On August 14, Nakamura defeated Tetsuya Naitō
to win the 2011 G1 Climax and earn another shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Nakamura went on to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship on September 19, but failed to recapture the title from Hiroshi Tanahashi. In the 2011 G1 Climax Tag League, Nakamura teamed with Toru Yano as the "CHAOS Top Team", winning all five of their group stage matches, advancing to the semifinals of the tournament with a clean sheet. On November 6, Nakamura and Yano were eliminated from the tournament in the semifinals by the team of Minoru Suzuki
and Lance Archer
.
1After winning the IGF's version of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, the title was unified with the NJPW sanctioned IWGP Heavyweight Championship, which Nakamura also held at the time.
2After winning the NWF Heavyweight Championship, the title was unified with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, which Nakamura also held at the time.
| Win
| 3-1
|
|Submission (forearm choke)
|K-1 MMA ROMANEX
|
| 2
| 1:51
|
|
|-
| NC
| 2-1
|
|No contest
|K-1 PREMIUM 2003 Dynamite!!
|
| 3
| 1:19
|
|
|-
| Win
| 2-1
|
|Submission (keylock)
|Jungle Fight 1
|
| 1
| 4:29
|
|
|-
| Win
| 1-1
|
|Submission (guillotine choke
)
|NJPW - Ultimate Crush
|
| 2
| 3:12
|
|
|-
| Loss
| 0-1
|
|Submission (armlock)
|Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2002
|
| 2
| 2:14
|
|
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
professional wrestler and mixed martial artist
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
currently working for New Japan Pro Wrestling
New Japan Pro Wrestling
is a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it...
, where he is a former three-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion.
Super Rookie (2002–2005)
Nakamura joined NJPW in March 2002 and quickly began making a name for himself as a bright prospect for the company. Having earned the nickname "Super Rookie", Nakamura impressed both NJPW officials and fans with an excellent combination of strength, speed, and technical skill. Nakamura also began training vale tudoVale tudo
Vale tudo are full-contact unarmed combat events, with a limited number of rules, that became popular in Brazil during the 20th century. Vale tudo has been considered a combat sport by some observers...
and on December 31, 2002, he made his mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
debut in a match, where he was defeated by Daniel Gracie
Daniel Gracie
Daniel Gracie Simoes, a native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is a lifelong practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and mixed martial arts. The Gracie Family is world renowned for their contributions to Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts. He is cousin to Renzo Gracie, Ralph Gracie, Charles Gracie and Ryan...
via submission to an armlock. Nakamura's second MMA match took place on May 2, 2003, when he defeated Jan Nortje
Jan Nortje
Johannes "Jan" Nortje is a South African kickboxer, mixed martial artist, and undefeated pro boxer who has fought for Strikeforce, DREAM, K-1, PRIDE Fighting Championship, and New Japan Pro Wrestling....
with a guillotine choke
Guillotine choke
The guillotine choke is a chokehold in martial arts and wrestling applied from in front of the opponent. The choke involves using the arms to encircle the opponent's neck in a fashion similar to a guillotine. The technique is either a type of tracheal compression restraint that prevents air flow...
. He followed that up on September 13 with another submission victory over Shane Eitner in his third MMA match. On December 9, 2003, Nakamura defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan
Hiroyoshi Tenzan
is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for New Japan Pro Wrestling, and is better known by his ring name . With Satoshi Kojima, in 2008, they won the Real World Tag League in All Japan Pro Wrestling and the G1 Climax Tag League in NJPW becoming in the only tag team which has done...
for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, thus becoming the youngest wrestler in history to win the title. On January 4, 2004, at Wrestling World 2004 Nakamura successfully defended the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against the NWF Heavyweight Champion
NWF Heavyweight Championship
The NWF Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship used as part of the National Wrestling Federation and later New Japan Pro Wrestling.- History :...
Yoshihiro Takayama
Yoshihiro Takayama
is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Takayama is well known for his ability to endure massive amounts of punishment, especially after his fight at PRIDE 21 against Don Frye...
in a title unification match. However, just a month later Nakamura was forced to vacate the title due to an injury. After returning from his injury Nakamura competed in his to date last MMA match, defeating Alexey Ignashov
Alexey Ignashov
Alexey "The Red Scorpion" Ignashov is a Belarusian Super Heavyweight kickboxer. He is a four-time Muay Thai World champion, K-1 World GP 2003 in Paris and K-1 World GP 2001 in Nagoya tournament champion...
with a forearm choke on May 22, 2004. On December 11, 2004, Nakamura and his tag team partner Hiroshi Tanahashi
Hiroshi Tanahashi
is a Japanese professional wrestler who works primarily for New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion in his fifth reign.-Early life:...
defeated Kensuke Sasaki
Kensuke Sasaki
is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently wrestles for various promotions through his own agency, Kensuke Office. He is the first of two men ever to hold all 3 of puroresu's major heavyweight titles , the other being Yoshihiro Takayama.-Early years :Kensuke Sasaki...
and Minoru Suzuki
Minoru Suzuki
is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Suzuki was the co-founder of Pancrase, one of the first mixed martial arts organizations in the world. During the 1990s he was known as one of the best fighters in the Pancrase promotion and was the second King of Pancrase world champion...
in a decision match to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship. On January 4, 2005, at Toukon Festival ~ Wrestling World 2005 Nakamura defeated his own tag team partner, Tanahashi, to win the IWGP U-30 Championship
IWGP U-30 Championship
The IWGP U-30 Championship was a professional wrestling championship in New Japan Pro Wrestling for wrestlers under the age of 30. It was proposed as part of a tournament called the G2 U-30 Climax by Hiroshi Tanahashi, who ended up winning the tournament in April 2003. The U-30 Championship became...
. During Nakamura's and Tanahashi tag team title reign, the two left for an excursion to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, where they feuded with Los Guerreros del Infierno
Los Guerreros del Infierno
Los Guerreros del Infierno is a Lucha Libre stable based in Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre in Mexico that has existed since 2000...
and defended their titles against Rey Bucanero
Rey Bucanero
Arturo García Ortiz is a Mexican professional wrestler currently working for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre under the ring name Rey Bucanero . Outside of lucha libre, he has also worked in Japan for New Japan Pro Wrestling, Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling, Toryumon and Dragondoor...
and Olímpico
Olímpico
Joel Bernal Galicia , better known under the ring name Olímpico is a Mexican Luchador , or professional wrestler. Olímpico is sometimes Anglicised as "Olympico", and means "Olympian" in Spanish...
. A few weeks later, on October 30, 2005, they lost the titles to Cho-Ten
Cho-Ten
Cho-Ten was a professional wrestling team that competed in New Japan Pro Wrestling on and off from February 1995 - September 2006. The team consisted of Masahiro Chono and Hiroyoshi Tenzan. Cho-Ten is one of the most decorated and successful tag teams in New Japan history. They held the IWGP Tag...
(Masahiro Chono
Masahiro Chono
, is a Japanese professional wrestler. He primarily wrestles for New Japan Pro Wrestling , but has also made appearances for the now defunct World Championship Wrestling, as a member of the New World Order. Chono was also known as Mister Black Jack when he first started as a villain. He is a...
and Hiroyoshi Tenzan).
Excursion and return (2006–2009)
Nakamura challenged Brock LesnarBrock Lesnar
Brock Edward Lesnar is an American mixed martial artist, actor and a former professional and amateur wrestler. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and is ranked the No.5 Heavyweight in the world by Sherdog...
for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship on January 4, 2006, at Toukon Shidou Chapter 1, but lost. In March 2006, Nakamura announced that he would depart on a learning excursion in order to further improve his wrestling skills. Among other things, he would travel to Mexico, Brazil and Russia, as well as train with Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar
Brock Edward Lesnar is an American mixed martial artist, actor and a former professional and amateur wrestler. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and is ranked the No.5 Heavyweight in the world by Sherdog...
at his personal gym in order to gain muscle mass. NJPW President Simon Inoki later suggested that as part of his learning excursion, Nakamura would be loaned to World Wrestling Entertainment to gain experience in working large American shows; this was reportedly at the request of John Laurinaitis
John Laurinaitis
John Joseph Laurinaitis is the Executive Vice President of Talent Relations for WWE and appears on WWE's Raw Brand as interim General Manager. He was previously a professional wrestler under the ring name Johnny Ace, and wrestled for such promotions as the National Wrestling Alliance and All...
and Dean Malenko
Dean Malenko
Dean Simon is a retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Dean Malenko. He is currently signed to WWE working as a road agent. He is best known for his time with Extreme Championship Wrestling , New Japan Pro Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling...
. However, it proved to be mostly speculation and never came to pass, as Nakamura was urgently needed back in New Japan due to Lesnar's departure.
On September 24, 2006, Nakamura made his long awaited return to New Japan, joining Masahiro Chono's BLACK stable, which had the goal of reforming New Japan with Chono as the president and Nakamura as the "Ace". Nakamura had greatly improved his muscular mass during his overseas training and also debuted a new finisher, called the Landslide. On December 10, 2006, Nakamura was unable to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship from then-champion Tanahashi and was again unsuccessful on January 4, 2007 at the Wrestle Kingdom in Tokyo Dome show, which he lost to Toshiaki Kawada
Toshiaki Kawada
is a Japanese professional wrestler who is most known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling. In 2005, he started freelancing in other promotions....
. Nakamura entered the 2007 G1 Climax tournament, where he reached the semifinals, before dislocating his shoulder. The injury sidelined Nakamura for months, but on November 11 he made his return and took over the leadership of BLACK from Chono and reformed the stable under the new name RISE
RISE (professional wrestling)
RISE was a professional wrestling stable that competed in New Japan Pro Wrestling and was led by Shinsuke Nakamura. The group was a spinoff group of BLACK which also featured Nakamura as a co-leader with Masahiro Chono and featured Giant Bernard, Travis Tomko, and Milano Collection AT as...
, consisting of himself, Minoru, Milano Collection A.T., Hirooki Goto
Hirooki Goto
is a Japanese professional wrestler. He has wrestled primarily for New Japan Pro Wrestling since his debut.-Career:Goto attended Kokushikan University, where he took part in freestyle wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling. Upon graduating, Goto qualified to join New Japan Pro Wrestling, but left the...
, Giant Bernard, Travis Tomko
Travis Tomko
Travis David Tomko is an American professional wrestler, known by his ring name Tomko, who most recently worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he previously was a member of Christian's Coalition and the Angle Alliance and often worked alongside A.J. Styles. He was also notable for his...
, and Prince Devitt
Fergal Devitt
Fergal Devitt is an Irish professional wrestler currently contracted by New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is currently in his second reign as the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion...
. Low Ki was later added to the stable after Milano was injured, having impressed NJPW officials during an appearance when he was still with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
. On December 9 Nakamura defeated Togi Makabe
Togi Makabe
, better known by his ring name is a Japanese professional wrestler, trained by and currently performing for New Japan Pro Wrestling , where he is a former IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Tag Team Champion....
to earn an IWGP Heavyweight Championship match at the following month's Tokyo Dome show.
On January 4, 2008, Nakamura defeated his rival Tanahashi in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom II in Tokyo Dome, winning the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for the second time. He followed that up with defeating Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
on February 17, 2008 to win the IGF
Inoki Genome Federation
Inoki Genome Federation is a professional wrestling promotion in Japan founded by Antonio Inoki in 2007.The IGF is now also the official National Wrestling Alliance territory of Japan, since Antonio Inoki is the person who holds those rights and transferred them to IGF from New Japan Pro...
version of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and unify it with his own NJPW version of the title. He lost the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to All Japan Pro Wrestling
All Japan Pro Wrestling
is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1972. All Japan Pro Wrestling still remains one of the most popular puroresu promotions still in operation.-The Giant Baba Era :...
representative Keiji Mutoh
Keiji Mutoh
is a Japanese professional wrestler who first gained international fame in the National Wrestling Alliance. He is mostly known for his work as The Great Muta in New Japan Pro Wrestling during the 1990s, but he has also competed in United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Taiwan...
in Osaka on April 27, 2008.
September 5, 2008 Nakamura and stablemate Hirooki Goto challenged Togi Makabe and Toru Yano
Toru Yano
, is a Japanese professional wrestler, trained by and currently signed to New Japan Pro Wrestling , where he is a former IWGP Tag Team Champion.-New Japan Pro Wrestling :...
for the IWGP Tag Team titles but failed, and afterwards Giant Bernard and Rick Fuller
Rick Fuller
Richard Fuller is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances World Championship Wrestling. He would later be featured in several video games including WCW Nitro and WCW/NWO Thunder....
attacked Nakamura and Goto and joined Makabe's GBH
Great Bash Heel
Great Bash Heel, often abbreviated to G・B・H, was a professional wrestling stable, and is currently a tag team, in New Japan Pro Wrestling . It was the top heel group in New Japan Pro Wrestling, before April 2009, when the rest of the group turned on their leader, Togi Makabe, and formed a new...
(Great Bash Heel) group along with the returning Low Ki. He also failed to win back the IWGP Title from Keiji Mutoh on October 13. On February 15, 2009, Nakamura faced Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, but once again failed to regain the title.
Strong Style Resurrection (2009–present)
In April 2009, Nakamura turned heel, siding with the former members of GBH (especially Toru Yano) in a feud against Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma. This new group was soon named CHAOSChaos (professional wrestling)
CHAOS is a Japanese professional wrestling stable formed by Shinsuke Nakamura and Toru Yano in New Japan Pro Wrestling.-Formation:In April 2009, Toru Yano turned on Togi Makabe, costing Makabe the match against Shinsuke Nakamura. As Nakamura continued the attack on Makabe, Tomoaki Honma tried to...
with Nakamura as their leader. Nakamura began to work a much rougher style, using a lot of knees and continuing to use a straight right hand as a frequent move in addition to the Boma Ye, his new finisher. It was the Boma Ye that took him to the finals of the 2009 G1 Climax, where he fell to Togi Makabe. Prior to the final Nakamura had gone undefeated, winning each match with the Boma Ye. The move was also credited for fracturing IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi's orbital bone in the semi-finals of the G1, which forced Tanahashi to vacate the title later that month.
On September 27, 2009, Nakamura avenged his G1 loss and defeated Makabe in a decision match to win the IWGP Heavyweight title for a third time. Upon winning the title, Nakamura drew the ire of the likes of Antonio Inoki
Antonio Inoki
is a Japanese professional wrestling promoter and retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist who now resides between New York City and Tokyo. He was also the founder and former owner of New Japan Pro Wrestling before selling his controlling share in the promotion to Yukes...
by announcing his plan of wanting to restore the "Strong Style" of New Japan by capturing the original IWGP Heavyweight Championship belt from Inoki to replace the fourth generation title belt Nakamura himself has. On October 12, he successfully defended the title against Shinjiro Otani. On November 8 at Destruction '09 Nakamura successfully defended his title against previous champion Hiroshi Tanahashi. On December 5, he retained the title by defeating Yuji Nagata
Yuji Nagata
is a Japanese professional wrestler. He was known for his perennial tweener status, currently a solid fan favorite, and his stiff, shoot style wrestling technique....
. On January 4, 2010, at Wrestle Kingdom IV in Tokyo Dome Nakamura successfully defended his IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Yoshihiro Takayama in a rematch of their 2004 Tokyo Dome title unification bout. After defeating Takayama he was challenged by Manabu Nakanishi
Manabu Nakanishi
is a Japanese professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler who competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. He currently works for New Japan Pro Wrestling. He is a former IWGP Heavyweight Champion.-Amateur wrestling career:...
, whom he would pin on February 14 at New Japan's ISM show in Sumo Hall, making his fifth defense. On April 4 Nakamura made his sixth successful title defense against the 2010 New Japan Cup winner and former team mate Hirooki Goto and afterwards accepted Togi Makabe's challenge for the title. On May 3, 2010, at Wrestling Dontaku 2010 Nakamura lost the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to Makabe. Following the loss, Nakamura was sidelined with a shoulder injury, until he returned on June 19, defeating Daniel Puder
Daniel Puder
Daniel Puder is an American professional mixed martial artist, who is currently undefeated in MMA competition, holding a a record of eight wins and zero losses...
. Simon Inoki and Atsushi Sawada of IGF appeared at the show and seemed to eye up Nakamura after the match. On July 19 Nakamura received a rematch for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, but was once again defeated by Togi Makabe. The following month Nakamura entered the 2010 G1 Climax, where he won four out of his seven round robin stage matches, including one over eventual winner Satoshi Kojima
Satoshi Kojima
is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed to New Japan Pro Wrestling. As a singles wrestler, he was the first wrestler to hold NJPW's IWGP Heavyweight Championship and All Japan Pro Wrestling's Triple Crown Championship simultaneously...
, and was leading his block heading to the final day, where he wrestled Pro Wrestling Noah's Go Shiozaki
Go Shiozaki
is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for Pro Wrestling Noah, where he is the current GHC Heavyweight Champion. In addition to Noah, he has previously worked in the American-based promotion Ring of Honor and its former sister promotion Full Impact Pro, where he won the latter's...
to a 30 minute time limit draw and thus missed the finals of the tournament by a single point. The draw with Shiozaki led to a No Time Limit match at a Pro Wrestling Noah show on August 22, where Shiozaki was victorious. Despite losing to Hirooki Goto in a number one contender's match on October 11, Nakamura was hand–picked by the new IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Satoshi Kojima, as his first challenger. The title match took place on December 11 and ended with Kojima retaining his title. On January 4, 2011, Nakamura avenged his loss to Go Shiozaki by defeating him in a singles match at Wrestle Kingdom V in Tokyo Dome. On May 3, Nakamura failed in his attempt to regain the IWGP Heavyweight Championship from Hiroshi Tanahashi. On August 1, Nakamura entered the 2011 G1 Climax and, after winning seven out of his nine round robin stage matches, finished first in his block to advance to the finals of the tournament. On August 14, Nakamura defeated Tetsuya Naitō
Tetsuya Naitō
is a Japanese professional wrestler trained by and currently performing for New Japan Pro Wrestling , where he is a former IWGP Tag Team and IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion with former partner Yujiro Takahashi, with whom he teamed as No Limit....
to win the 2011 G1 Climax and earn another shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Nakamura went on to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship on September 19, but failed to recapture the title from Hiroshi Tanahashi. In the 2011 G1 Climax Tag League, Nakamura teamed with Toru Yano as the "CHAOS Top Team", winning all five of their group stage matches, advancing to the semifinals of the tournament with a clean sheet. On November 6, Nakamura and Yano were eliminated from the tournament in the semifinals by the team of Minoru Suzuki
Minoru Suzuki
is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Suzuki was the co-founder of Pancrase, one of the first mixed martial arts organizations in the world. During the 1990s he was known as one of the best fighters in the Pancrase promotion and was the second King of Pancrase world champion...
and Lance Archer
Lance Hoyt
Lance Hoyt is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to New Japan Pro Wrestling as Lance Archer. He is best known for his work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a two time NWA World Tag Team Champion with Kid Kash while the title was under the TNA banner...
.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Boma Ye (High knee to the opponent's face or the back of the head) – 2009–present
- Crucifix armbar
- Landslide (Samoan driver, sometimes from the second rope) – 2006–2009
- Shining Triangle (Nakamura steps off one of the kneeling opponent's knees and quickly applies a triangle choke)
- Signature moves
- Bridging / Release German suplex
- Death Valley driver
- Double underhook piledriver
- El Niño (Springboard moonsault)
- Front facelock sleeper hold
- Inverted powerslam
- NicknameNicknameA nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
s- "Child of God"
- "The Black Savior"
- "Supernova"
- Entrance themesMusic in professional wrestlingMusic in professional wrestling serves a variety of purposes. The most common uses of music in professional wrestling is that of the entrance theme, a song or piece of instrumental music which plays as a performer approaches the ring...
- "Subconscious"
Championships and accomplishments
- Inoki Genome FederationInoki Genome FederationInoki Genome Federation is a professional wrestling promotion in Japan founded by Antonio Inoki in 2007.The IGF is now also the official National Wrestling Alliance territory of Japan, since Antonio Inoki is the person who holds those rights and transferred them to IGF from New Japan Pro...
- IWGP Heavyweight Championship (1 time)1
- New Japan Pro WrestlingNew Japan Pro Wrestlingis a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it...
- IWGP Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
- IWGP U-30 ChampionshipIWGP U-30 ChampionshipThe IWGP U-30 Championship was a professional wrestling championship in New Japan Pro Wrestling for wrestlers under the age of 30. It was proposed as part of a tournament called the G2 U-30 Climax by Hiroshi Tanahashi, who ended up winning the tournament in April 2003. The U-30 Championship became...
(1 time) - IWGP Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Hiroshi TanahashiHiroshi Tanahashiis a Japanese professional wrestler who works primarily for New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion in his fifth reign.-Early life:...
- NWF Heavyweight ChampionshipNWF Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWF Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship used as part of the National Wrestling Federation and later New Japan Pro Wrestling.- History :...
(1 time)2 - G1 ClimaxG1 ClimaxThe G1 Climax professional wrestling tournament is a weeklong event held each August by the New Japan Pro Wrestling promotion. The G1 draws standing room only crowds each night, record receipt gates and generates front-page coverage on the sports sections of several of the daily newspapers in Tokyo...
(2011) - G1 Climax Tag LeagueG1 Climax Tag LeagueThe G1 Climax Tag League is a professional wrestling round-robin tag team tournament held by New Japan Pro Wrestling as a spin-off of the popular singles tournament, the G1 Climax. It was created in 1991 as the Super Grade Tag League, as a continuation of a regular tag team tournament held since...
(2006) – with Masahiro ChonoMasahiro Chono, is a Japanese professional wrestler. He primarily wrestles for New Japan Pro Wrestling , but has also made appearances for the now defunct World Championship Wrestling, as a member of the New World Order. Chono was also known as Mister Black Jack when he first started as a villain. He is a... - 10,000,000 Yin Tag Tournament (2004) – with Hiroyoshi TenzanHiroyoshi Tenzanis a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for New Japan Pro Wrestling, and is better known by his ring name . With Satoshi Kojima, in 2008, they won the Real World Tag League in All Japan Pro Wrestling and the G1 Climax Tag League in NJPW becoming in the only tag team which has done...
- Teisen Hall Cup Six Man Tag Team Tournament (2003) – with Hiro SaitoHiro SaitoHiroyuki Saito is a professional wrestler best known by the shortened name of .-Career:Hiro debuted in 1978 in New Japan Pro Wrestling. In May 1985, he defeated The Cobra to win the WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship only to lose back to him 2 months later...
and Tatsutoshi GotoTatsutoshi Gotois a Japanese professional wrestler. He competed primarily in WAR and New Japan Pro Wrestling using the name "T2000 Machine". He also briefly competed in WCW as part of the nWo Japan.-Career:... - Yuko Six Man Tag Team Tournament (2004) – with Blue WolfDolgorsürengiin SerjbüdeeDolgorsürengiin Serjbüdee is a Mongolian professional wrestler who wrestled for New Japan Pro Wrestling. He goes by the ring name Blue Wolf.-Career:Dolgorsürengiin Serjbüdee is the brother of Dolgorsürengiin Sumiyaabazar, a high ranking Mongolian...
and Katsuhiko NakajimaKatsuhiko Nakajimais a Japanese professional wrestler, represented as a freelancer by his mentor Kensuke Sasaki's Kensuke Office dojo and agency. He along with Sasaki and other Kensuke Office graduates currently most frequently wrestle in Pro Wrestling Noah, where he is the current GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion in... - Heavyweight Tag MVP Award (2005) with Hiroshi Tanahashi
- New Wave Award (2003)
- Tag Team Best Bout (2004) with Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Katsuyori ShibataKatsuyori Shibatais a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. In professional wrestling, he is known for his hard hitting offense and his realistic bouts.-New Japan Pro Wrestling :...
and Masahiro Chono on October 24 - Technique Award (2004)
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI ranked him #7 of the best 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2010
- Tokyo Sports Grand Prix
- Rookie of the Year Award (2003)
1After winning the IGF's version of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, the title was unified with the NJPW sanctioned IWGP Heavyweight Championship, which Nakamura also held at the time.
2After winning the NWF Heavyweight Championship, the title was unified with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, which Nakamura also held at the time.
Mixed martial arts record
|-| Win
| 3-1
|
|Submission (forearm choke)
|K-1 MMA ROMANEX
|
| 2
| 1:51
|
|
|-
| NC
| 2-1
|
|No contest
|K-1 PREMIUM 2003 Dynamite!!
K-1 PREMIUM 2003 Dynamite!!
K-1 PREMIUM 2003 Dynamite!! was an annual kickboxing and mixed martial arts event held by K-1 on New Year's Eve, Wednesday, December 31, 2003 at the Nagoya Dome in Nagoya, Japan...
|
| 3
| 1:19
|
|
|-
| Win
| 2-1
|
|Submission (keylock)
|Jungle Fight 1
Jungle Fight 1
Jungle Fight 1 was the first mixed martial arts event held by Jungle Fight on September 13, 2003 at Ariau Amazon Towers Convention Center in Manaus, Brazil.-Results: Ebenezer Fontes Braga vs. Rodrigo Gripp de Sousa...
|
| 1
| 4:29
|
|
|-
| Win
| 1-1
|
|Submission (guillotine choke
Guillotine choke
The guillotine choke is a chokehold in martial arts and wrestling applied from in front of the opponent. The choke involves using the arms to encircle the opponent's neck in a fashion similar to a guillotine. The technique is either a type of tracheal compression restraint that prevents air flow...
)
|NJPW - Ultimate Crush
|
| 2
| 3:12
|
|
|-
| Loss
| 0-1
|
|Submission (armlock)
|Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2002
Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2002
Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2002: K-1 vs. Inoki was a mixed martial arts and kickboxing event promoted by Antonio Inoki and K-1 on December 31, 2002 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan...
|
| 2
| 2:14
|
|