The #1 Contender for the NXT Championship, Shinsuke Nakamura was invited in the recent episode of Talk is Jericho, hosted by the former World Champion Chris Jericho. The two iconic wrestlers discussed Nakamura’s decision to join WWE, his mesmerizing character and much more.
Jericho asked the King of Strong Style about moving to the United States from Japan. Nakamura mentioned that he was determined for a new and bigger challenge and that is the reason behind his decision to move to America. He also stated that shifting to a new country, especially the USA was, "Not so strange. I already had a lot of friends in the United States and I was looking for something new, like a new stimulation."
An obvious question was raised by Jericho about Nakamura’s decision to do minor NXT shows instead of headlining the pay-per-views in Japan. To clarify, Nakamura replied, "smaller shows, but I don't care because [it is a] new experience for me. So WWE style, to work WWE/NXT style [is] much different”
In this podcast, Nakamura also revealed that he was not a stranger to the country. During his previous visit, he had stayed in California and shared the room with former WWE Champion Daniel Bryan and MMA fighter Lyoto Machida, "I think 2002 to 2004, I trained MMA at Los Angeles [California], and also I trained pro wrestling at Los Angeles at the LA Dojo. So me and Daniel Bryan, Lyoto Machida had the same apartment almost 14 years ago. So I couldn't speak English at all then. Lyoto Machida [was] also [in the] same situation. He only [spoke] Portuguese. Then we tried to talk [and] Daniel [would say] 'both of your English is s--t!'"
Regarding the inspirations behind his current gimmick, Nakamura replied, "If I watch Michael Jackson, I felt, 'oh, he's a real master of martial [arts] because his standing is very straight. His dancing is the best, [better] than other dancers. Michael Jackson gave me a lot of hints, a lot of inspiration."
Additionally, Nakamura claimed to be inspired by the in-ring work of Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger. He also considers a lot of mixed martial artists including Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, as his idols.
From his answers, it can be concluded that Shinuske Nakamura is trying his best to adapt to life in the WWE. He is very much impressed with the reactions he is receiving from the fans and critics and believes that he will have a bright future in the company.
