Shinsuke Nakamura's rare matches outside WWE you might have not seen (with videos)

#1 Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kota Ibushi, Wrestle Kingdom IX

This is the match that elevated Shinsuke Nakamura to a new level. No longer was he just a flamboyant mid-carder with out-of-this-world charisma that struggled to break the glass ceiling. After this match, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Nakamura was a world-class athlete and one of the few that could make a believable claim as best wrestler alive.

Not only was Nakamura’s entrance for this match in a league of its own (the guy literally came out dressed as a king), but he and Kota Ibushi proceeded to steal the show from an otherwise stacked Wrestle Kingdom IX card (which also included a stellar main event between Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada).

This match featured a stellar combination of stiff and believable strikes, outstanding aerial offence from Kota Ibushi, and outstanding drama that made every near fall as believable as the one the one before it.

Extra credit goes to Ibushi in this match for proving that, despite being a ‘junior/cruiserweight’, he could hang with one of the best heavyweight wrestlers NJPW had to offer. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that this match won the Wrestling Observer’s Match of the Year award for 2015.

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