What did Shinsuke Nakamura do before WWE?

Shinsuke Nakamura is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for the WWE on the RAW brand. Known as The King of Strong Style, Nakamura rose to fame during his stint in New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he captured the IWGP championship multiple times and was one of the company's top stars. He then jumped ship to WWE, where he won the NXT Championship, the Royal Rumble 2018, the United States Championship, the Intercontinental Championship, and the WWE Tag Team Championship.

On January 4, 2024 episode of RAW, Shinsuke Nakamura announced himself for the 2024 Men's Royal Rumble match. If he wins, he will become a 2-time Royal Rumble winner, having already won the free-for-all in 2018.

Shinsuke Nakamura before WWE

Born on 24th February 1980, in Mineyama, Kyoto, Shinsuke Nakamura started his wrestling career in New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2002 and quickly rose through the ranks with his impressive wrestling style, earning the title of Super Rookie. While working with the NJPW, he also started training for his debut in MMA, which happened on 31st December 2002, where he lost his first fight, although the subsequent matches were won, giving him a 3-1 record in MMA. Returning to professional wrestling, he won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship by defeating Hiroyoshi Tenzan which made him the youngest wrestler to win the title ever. He also won the title unification match against Yoshihiro Takayama but unfortunately had to relinquish the title due to injury. Upon his return, he immediately started pursuing championship gold, but this time his aim was the IWGP Tag Team Championship which he won with Hiroshi Tanahashi on 11th December. 2004. Although, things took a turn when he defeated his own partner to capture the IWGP U-30 Openweight Championship.

He also faced Brock Lesnar for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, but in a failed attempt, he took a hiatus to polish his wrestling skills further. After his return, he defeated Tanahashi to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship the second time and went on to defeat Kurt Angle as well for the IGF version of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, thus unifying both of those titles. Then came his King of Strong Style phase, where he was the most notorious villain, using a rougher style of wrestling to decimate his opponents. This persona of his helped him win the IWGP Championship for the third time while also making him one of the most well-known and popular wrestlers in the promotion. He also won the IWGP Intercontinental Championship by defeating Hirooki Goto which was his first reign as Intercontinental Champion. Besides this, he also won the G1 Climax tournament and the G1 Tag League as well, and his achievements is just a sign of how decorated of a star he is in the wrestling industry. Nakamura wrestled his last match for NJPW on January 30, 2016 before making his way to the WWE.

After transitioning to WWE, he started putting up iconic matches with a variety of opponents, be it on NXT or on the main roster, and thus developed a fan base in the WWE as well. He won the NXT Championship twice, and after making his way to the main roster, he also won the WWE Intercontinental Championship, the United States Championship, the Smackdown Tag Team Championship, and the Royal Rumble match of 2018. Despite his language constraints, his charismatic personality and wrestling acumen have always impressed the audience.

Shinsuke Nakamura’s Net Worth

As per reports, Shinsuke Nakamura’s Net Worth is estimated to be around $5 Million.

Shinsuke Nakamura’s Salary

Nakamura has been wrestling since 2002 and is now counted as one of the greats currently working in the industry, and his salary signifies his achievement. As per reports, Nakamura’s annual salary is estimated to be around $400,000.