WWE United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura spoke to Sports Illustrated about various topics.
His Adjustment To WWE Style:
WWE is a different form of wrestling,” explained Nakamura. “It’s different than New Japan. I wrestled a different style with New Japan, but WWE is a live TV show. I’m still learning,” said Nakamura. “My family speaks the language better than me, and they’re trying to fix my English. It’s so different from Japanese. The other stuff—moving, adjusting, and all that, that was a little bit tough. This was a challenge for me, starting at NXT,” said Nakamura. “It was rare for me to be in that spot, but I enjoyed that experience. That NXT experience was a first-time for me. I studied so hard. That type of opportunity is only in WWE. I learned American, WWE style at the Performance Center. It wasn’t humbling, because I was too busy enjoying the moment.”
His Goals In WWE:
“I love wrestling and I love telling a story to the audience,” said Nakamura. “I’m always looking for something new, even small things. My wrestling style changes, but I try to control the audience. I want to give energy to the audience, and the audience gives me energy. I love that back-and-forth. I really love what I’m doing.”
His Influences:
“Wrestling is a universal language,” said Nakamura. “The moves, the facial expressions, most people understand. So I tried to find my own character. For me, I like to be different. I didn’t want to imitate another wrestler. I always try to find something from other genres, like movies, books, art, and musicals. That’s how I made my style.”