5 must-watch matches of Shinsuke Nakamura before WWE

Modified May 31, 2018 22:49 GMT

Shinsuke Nakamura as the IWGP Intercontinental Champion

#1. Shinsuke Nakamura vs Kota Ibushi - Wrestle Kingdom 9, 2015

One of the greatest Pro Wrestling matches of all time and arguably one of the best matches to ever take place inside the Tokyo Dome.

Nakamura’s one-on-one IWGP Intercontinental Title match against Ibushi from 2015 was quite possibly the best IWGP IC Title match.

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Ibushi, who despite being a Jr. Heavyweight at that point of time, wanted to prove that he can truly hang in there with the likes of Nakamura and the rest of the Heavyweight Division.

As expected, ‘The Golden Star’ once again lived up to all the expectations and delivered on the big stage along with ‘The King of Strong Style’.

A much-resilient Kota Ibushi decided to step out of his comfort zone on this occasion and displayed a rather aggressive side and eventually hit Nakamura with his own Bomayee Knee.

However, Ibushi’s rude and cocky attitude subsequently wasn’t enough to pull off the upset win, as Nakamura kept his calm, took his time and eventually hit Ibushi with the Bomayee Knees to pick up the win and retain his championship belt in the process.

A highly recommendable match with some amazing bit of storytelling to it, with two of the very best wrestlers in the world today.

What do you think was Shinsuke Nakamura's best match before WWE? Sound off in the comments section below!

About the author

Soumik Datta is a professional wrestling journalist who has been following the business for more than a decade.

In 2017, Soumik joined the Sportskeeda Wrestling team and is best known for his work with the WWE team. He has previously contributed to the Sportskeeda AEW, MMA, and the football team where he specifically covered the Major League Soccer.

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Edited by Akhilesh Tirumala