Long before he was wrestling in the WWE, a young Shinsuke Nakamura squared off with then-IWGP Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar inside a New Japan Pro Wrestling ring at the Tokyo Dome in 2006. Lesnar, having left the WWE by this point, had a contentious run in New Japan after winning the company’s top title in 2005, eventually refusing to defend or even return the title over what he claimed was money the company owed him. “The Beast” eventually lost that title to Kurt Angle, who then turned around and dropped it to Nakamura in February 2008 to unify the two world championships.
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In a new interview on Renee Paquette’s Oral Sessions, Nakamura was asked about the possibility of stepping inside the ring with Lesnar again.
“If I had the opportunity, of course,” Nakamura said (h/t WrestlingNews.co). He then added that the wrestlers in New Japan felt Lesnar acted “unprofessional” during his time with the IWGP title.
Do you think Nakamura and Lesnar should clash again inside a WWE ring? Let us know in the comments below!
By the end of his time in New Japan, Nakamura was heavily decorated as a three-time world champion, five-time Intercontinental Champion, G-1 Climax winner and multi-time Wrestle Kingdom main eventer. Unfortunately, he has not come close to finding that success in WWE.
“I’m still struggling in wrestling,” Nakamura said during the interview. “Coming to US and coming to WWE is challenging. I came to challenge myself. That’s why I’m here. I’m waiting to find my timing and my moment. I don’t pitch ideas to [Vince] a lot. We talk after the match a little or before the match if he has an idea for my promo. I need to get used to [talking to Vince].”
“Yes, still,” he added when asked if he gets nervous cutting promos in English. “Nowadays, they only give me a short line. For example, a famous joke, I don’t know because I didn’t grow up in the US.”
WWE’s latest pay-per-view, WrestleMania Backlash, took place this past Sunday inside the WWE ThunderDome. Check out the full results below:
Check out the full results from WrestleMania Backlash below:
- Sheamus def. Ricochet (Kickoff)
- Raw Women’s Championship: Rhea Ripley def. Charlotte Flair and Asuka
- SmackDown Tag Team Championships: Rey Mysterio & Dominik Mysterio def. The Dirty Dawgs
- Damian Priest def. The Miz (Lumberjack Match)
- SmackDown Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair def. Bayley
- WWE Championship: Bobby Lashley def. Drew McIntyre and Braun Strowman
- WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns def. Cesaro
