Shinsuke Nakamura, a name that evokes visions of an eccentric, fan-favourite Japanese Superstar. An image of a man that has won everything this is in his home country of Japan and is now a part of the WWE. A man whose title reigns legitimised NXT and a man who has unmatched charisma.
No, the King of Strong Style does not need any introduction. In his relatively short run in the WWE, the man has captured accolades, championships and the hearts of millions of his fans in the WWE Universe, and he continues to do so every time he steps into the ring.
The enigmatic Nakamura’s life away from the world of professional wrestling, however, has always been a bit of a secret and today, we’re going to take you through a few facts about him and his wife that you may not have known before.
Nakamura’s wife is Harumi Maekawa. Very little information about her is known to the public and to date, there have been no images of her released anywhere on the Internet. We do know some things about this wonderful couple though, so let’s get started.
#1 They first met in college
Very few people know that Shinsuke Nakamura was actually a collegiate wrestler at the Aoyama Gakuin University in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Not only did Nakamura actually ended up becoming the captain of the Wrestling team in his college, but he also won several championships during his time there.
Also read: 8 things you might not know about Shinsuke Nakamura
The Aoyama Gakuin University was where Shinsuke Nakamura first met Harumi Maekawa. The tall and handsome Shinsuke managed to leave enough of an impression on Maekawa for them to start dating sometime around the year 1999/2000.
Although Maekawa’s academic credentials are unknown, her love for Shinsuke eventually ended up becoming known to all, which takes us to the next point.
#2 They got married when Shinsuke was out of action
As soon as he got out of college, Nakamura passed an entrance exam for the New Japan Pro Wrestling Dojo and joined them. Nakamura dedicated himself to professional wrestling as well as mixed martial arts and kept a really busy schedule.
Harumi Maekawa, ever the loving supporter of Shinsuke, supported him throughout all these years. However, the question of marriage came up in their relationship now and then, and when one takes a look at Nakamura’s busy schedule back in those days, they can understand how difficult it must have been for him to take time out for anything else.
Nakamura was a part of the 2007 G1 Climax tournament which was held in August 2007. He was one of the hottest stars in NJPW at the time and was touted to become the winner of the tournament. Unfortunately, Nakamura dislocated his shoulder in the Semi-finals of the tournament against Yuji Nagata and was forced to forfeit the tournament.
Nakamura had already announced in June 2007 that he was going to get married to the then-26-year-old Harumi Maekawa and he didn’t let the injury put a damper on those plans. The couple got married, as per schedule, on 1st September 2007. Nakamura himself was 27 years old at the time.
Next, let’s take a look at their marriage!
#3 Shinsuke Nakamura and Harumi Maekawa had a beautiful wedding
1st September 2007 was the day when Shinsuke Nakamura and Harumi Maekawa got married to each other. The couple had already been in love for many years prior, and they decided to make their wedding a very special one.
The couple arranged a huge wedding party in Tokyo, complete with the best of decorations and food to make the most special day of their lives memorable. The wedding had over 400 guests, with Nakamura and Maekawa’s family as well as several big names from the Japanese Professional Wrestling scene present at the event.
Nakamura had said that he wanted his wedding to motivate him in becoming a better professional wrestler. And so it did. Nakamura would return to action on 11th November 2007 and would immediately make waves in NJPW with the formation of the RISE stable. Shortly thereafter, Nakamura won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for a second time at Wrestle Kingdom II at the Tokyo Dome.
To say that Harumi Maekawa has been lady luck for Nakamura would not be an exaggeration!
#4 Shinsuke Nakamura doesn’t want his wife to be the centre of unnecessary attention
As mentioned earlier, there is very little information about Harumi Maekawa available on the public domain. In fact, despite having a very active social media presence, Nakamura has not once chosen to upload a picture of his wife Harumi Maekawa to any of his accounts.
The reason for this is the fact that Shinsuke Nakamura doesn’t want any unneeded attention to be focused on his wife.
Another reason for Shinsuke being protective of his wife may have to do with cultural influence as well. Japanese celebrities, including professional wrestlers, tend to be very secretive about their families. Even their peers usually don’t know anything about their private lives.
And on that note, there is no information on whether Shinsuke Nakamura has any children either.
#5 Triple H offered to arrange a job for Harumi Maekawa
When Shinsuke Nakamura was signed to a WWE contract, Harumi Maekawa decided to move to the USA with him. The couple ended up getting a place to live in Orlando, Florida so that they could be close to the NXT Performance Centre and the Full Sail University.
There are times when foreign wrestlers don’t move with their families, but in the case of Harumi Maekawa and Shinsuke Nakamura, things were different. In fact, to ease Nakamura and Maekawa’s transition to the US, Triple H even offered to arrange a job for Harumi Maekawa in Florida!
Nakamura, in a translated interview, was quoted as saying:
“He (Triple H) also said to me that if you have any ideas at all, just tell me. He even said he could arrange a job for my wife. If I asked him, ‘Do you think I can have time off to surf’ do you think I’d be pushing it? Haha’”
It is unclear whether Triple H meant to arrange a job for Maekawa in the WWE itself or elsewhere.
So those are 5 things about Shinsuke Nakamura and Harumi Maekawa that you know now. The couple are currently happily living together in the United States, and while it is unclear whether Harumi got herself a job, husband Shinsuke Nakamura ended up becoming one of the top Superstars in WWE.
We wish the couple all the best for their future and hope that they are collectively able to enjoy their time in the USA as much as the WWE Universe is enjoying Shinsuke!
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