#127: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn, NXT TakeOver: Dallas (4/1/2016).
This is the WWE debut of Shinsuke Nakamura, one of the new Three Musketeers of New Japan Pro Wrestling, and arguably the most popular wrestler in Japan coming into 2016.
His signing to WWE was a landmark moment that simply didn't happen often, or ever. The biggest stars in Japan rarely leave to place their carbon footprint in the United States wrestling scene. The closest before this was Keiji Mutoh, but that wasn't a permanent deal in WCW. Here, Nakamura was leaving New Japan as one of its biggest success stories, and now he was coming to America to begin the next phase of his career. Here, he's in the prime of his career.
Meanwhile, Sami Zayn had returned to NXT at the tail end of 2015, and was getting set to say goodbye and begin his main roster run. For his farewell match from the Black & Gold brand, he would be the welcoming party for the King of Strong Style.
Zayn enters to a great pop from the fans, an appreciative group of people who know that Zayn - the heart and soul of NXT at this point - is leaving for his next journey. But man, let me tell you about the Nakamura Pop! The lights dim, and the anticipation builds. They chant his name, and then a nice Rock note plays over the speaker.
Across a background of strobe light-esque graphics, Nakamura enters looking like a phantom. The crowd absolutely explodes as he makes his first appearance in NXT. Presentation wise, this is exactly the same man who just a few months prior faced AJ Styles in the Tokyo Dome at Wrestle Kingdom 10. Oh, and Styles is also in WWE at this point, too. 2016 was wild.
The bell sounds, and the crowd is nuclear for both men. The environment here is insane. Both men approach the middle of the ring, and Nakamura oozes charisma. What a watershed moment for NXT.
They go to lock up, and Nakamura just walks off like it's nothing. They lock up proper, and Nakamura forces Zayn into the ropes. He taunts him, and asks for more. Zayn rushes him, and Nakamura with a knee to the ribs. He goes to kick Zayn's head off, and he avoids it.
Zayn takes control of the arm, and Nak reverses it into some arm control of his own. Zayn rolls out of it, and flips Nak to the mat. Arm drags by Zayn, and now he's asking for more from Nak!
Nak kicks Zayn's thigh, and drops a high knee to the head for a nearfall. Nak looks for an armbar right away, as he keeps it extended outward. Elbows to the side of the head by Zayn, followed by some knees by Nak. He looks for Good Vibrations, but Zayn pushes him away. Nice enziguri by Nak for a 2 count.
Nice Suplex by Zayn, and that gets him a 2 count. Zayn chops Nak, and sends him face first into the turnbuckle. He follows with a dropkick for 2. Zayn forearms Nak, who responds with some of his own. Zayn sends Nak to the floor below.
Nak kicks Zayn right in the face, and drags him to the apron. Nice running knee to the face, followed by a flying knee to the back of the head. Back in the Ring, Nak connects with Good Vibrations. He knees Zayn, and places him across the top rope. Another knee to the midsection gets Nak a nearfall.
Zayn avoids a Suplex and sends Nak back to the floor. Zayn gears up, and hits the Senton to the outside on Nak! Back in the Ring, Zayn with a high crossbody for a close 2 count.
Nak blocks a Suplex with a knee to the head, and follows with hard knees to the side of the head on the mat. Nak rushes, and goes into a Michinoku Driver by Zayn! Both men exchange strikes back and forth. Both men throwing hard forearms!
The crowd is going fucking nuts for all of this. Nak is bleeding from the nose. They're starting to slow down, and the crowd applauds. Nak licks his own blood, and drives his boot into Zayn's head repeatedly. Hard kick to the chest follows.
Zayn explodes back with a huge lariat that turns Nak inside out. He goes for another, but Nak counters into an armbar! He transitions into a triangle choke next. Zayn fights out of it by kicking Nak repeatedly on the head.
More punches by Zayn, and some boots to the head. Nak with a hard straight right hand, and Zayn goes right into the Koji Clutch submission! "Please don't tap" from the fans. Nak reverses into a pin for 2. Step up enziguri from Nak.
"Fight forever chant." Back elbow from Zayn hits hard on the jaw. A dropkick from Nak sends him into the corner. Zayn tries to rush with the Helluva Kick, but Nak counters into an Inverted exploder Suplex. Zayn connects with the Blue Thunder Bomb for a razor thin 2 count.
The crowd explodes in claps, as a loud "NXT" chant breaks out. Nak rolls to the outside. Zayn follows, and goes for his DDT through the turnbuckle, but Nak counters it with a roundhouse kick to the head!
Nak goes to the top rope, and Zayn meets him there. He's looking for a superplex, but Nak headbutts him back to the mat. Nak blocks an exploder with vicious elbows to the neck. He goes to the middle rope and hits the Kinshasa to the back of the neck. Nak hits the proper Kinshasa for the 3 and the win. The crowd explodes with glorious applause.
Post Match, both men embrace, as Zayn celebrates his final night in NXT.
This is a match that always makes me smile. Watching it back for the first time in about a year, I am reminded that this featured one of the most appreciative wrestling crowds ever in the United States. They ate everything up here, as Nakamura and Zayn beat the hell out of each other like they were in the G1 Climax.
Nakamura was exactly the same man he was in New Japan: charismatic, elusive, and violent. He brought his A game here, and gave Zayn a beating that would make Kevin Owens blush. Zayn, to his credit, gave it right back. He wasn't afraid to go strike for strike with a man the caliber of Nakamura, and it made for an electric atmosphere, and an exciting war.
I am in the minority when I say that I've enjoyed Shinsuke Nakamura's WWE run as a whole. It may not be what it could've been, but tell me the last time WWE pushed a Japanese male wrestler in the way that they have with him. I mean, he got a WWE Championship match at WrestleMania, against the very man who helped get WWE excited to sign him: AJ Styles.
That said, this was definitely the peak of his WWE run thus far. As fine as he's been since, he has not even once come close to this level of presentation. He adapted to the WWE style, for better and for worse. Good for him, though. He's getting paid good money. And still, even if it was just for one night, the WWE live audience got to experience the mythical Shinsuke Nakamura that they'd heard so much about.