Prior to his main roster debut in WWE, Nakamura competed in the company'sNXT brand, where he became a two-timeNXT Champion. In January 2018, Nakamura won the2018 Men's Royal Rumble match and lost atWrestleMania 34 and later won theWWE United States Championship three times. He won the Intercontinental Championship for the first time in 2019 atExtreme Rules, making him the second wrestler (behindChris Jericho) to hold both WWE and IWGP Intercontinental Championships. Nakamura is also a formerWWE SmackDown Tag Team Champion withCesaro. From July 2021 to October of the same year, Nakamura dubbed himselfKing Nakamura due to being in possession of theKing of the Ring crown, although he never won the tournament, instead defeating reigning King of the RingBaron Corbin in a "Battle for the Crown" match. Overall, Nakamura is a five-time world champion in professional wrestling.
Nakamura joined NJPW in March 2002 and quickly began making a name for himself as a bright prospect for the company.[5] In his debut match on August 29, 2002 he lost toTadao Yasuda. Having earned the nickname "Super Rookie", Nakamura impressed both NJPW officials and fans with an excellent combination of strength, speed, and technical skill.[5] Alongside fellow rookiesHiroshi Tanahashi andKatsuyori Shibata, Nakamura became known as one of the "newThree Musketeers".[8] Nakamura began trainingvale tudo and, on December 31, he made hismixed martial arts debut, where he was defeated byDaniel Gracie via submission to anarmlock.[5] Nakamura's second MMA fight took place on May 2, 2003, when he defeatedJan Nortje with aguillotine choke.[5] He followed that up on September 13 with another submission victory over Shane Eitner in his third MMA fight.[9] On December 9, Nakamura defeatedHiroyoshi Tenzan for theIWGP Heavyweight Championship, thus becoming the youngest wrestler in history to win the title.[5] On January 4, 2004, atWrestling World 2004, Nakamura successfully defended the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against theNWF Heavyweight ChampionYoshihiro Takayama in a title unification match.[5] However, Nakamura was forced to vacate the title due to an injury just a month later.[5]
AtToukon Shidou Chapter 1 on January 4, 2006, Nakamura challengedBrock Lesnar for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, but lost.[11] In March 2006, Nakamura announced that he would depart on a learning excursion to further improve his wrestling skills.[5] He would also travel to Mexico, Brazil and Russia and train with Lesnar at Lesnar's personal gym to gain muscle mass. NJPW President Simon Inoki later suggested that as part of his learning excursion, Nakamura would be loaned toWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) to gain experience in working large American shows.[12] However, it was mostly speculation and never came to pass as Nakamura was urgently needed back in New Japan due to Lesnar's departure.[5]
On September 24, Nakamura made his long-awaited return to New Japan, joining Masahiro Chono'sBlack New Japan faction, which had the goal of reforming New Japan with Chono as the president and Nakamura as the "ace".[5][13] Nakamura had greatly improved his muscular mass during his overseas training and also debuted a new finisher, called the Landslide.[5] On December 10, Nakamura was unable to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship from then-champion Tanahashi and was again unsuccessful on January 4, 2007, at theWrestle Kingdom in Tokyo Dome show, where he lost toToshiaki Kawada.[5] Nakamura entered the2007 G1 Climax tournament, where he reached the semi-finals before dislocating his shoulder.[5] The injury sidelined Nakamura for months, but he made his return on November 11 and took over the leadership of Black New Japan from Chono and reformed the faction under the new nameRISE. The faction originally consisted of himself,Minoru,Milano Collection A.T.,Hirooki Goto,Giant Bernard,Travis Tomko andPrince Devitt.[5]Low Ki was later added to the stable after Milano was injured, having impressed Nakamura during an appearance when he was still withImpact! Wrestling (formerly TNA). On December 9, Nakamura defeatedTogi Makabe to earn an IWGP Heavyweight Championship match at the following month's Tokyo Dome show.[5]
On January 4, 2008, Nakamura defeated his rival Tanahashi in the main event ofWrestle Kingdom II in Tokyo Dome, winning the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for the second time.[5] On February 17, Nakamura defeatedKurt Angle to win theIGFversion of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, unifying it with his own NJPW version of the title.[5] He lost the IWGP Heavyweight Championship toAll Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) representativeKeiji Mutoh inOsaka on April 27.[5]
On September 5, Nakamura and RISE stablemate Hirooki Goto unsuccessfully challenged Togi Makabe andToru Yano for the IWGP Tag Team Championship. Immediately after the match, the duo were attacked by Giant Bernard,Rick Fuller and the returning Low Ki, who had just left RISE to join Makabe'sGBH faction.[5] On February 15, 2009, Nakamura faced Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, but he failed to regain the title.[14]
In April 2009, Nakamuraturned into avillain, siding with the former members of GBH (especially Toru Yano) in afeud against Togi Makabe andTomoaki Honma. This new group was soon namedChaos with Nakamura as their leader.[5] Nakamura began to work a much rougher style, using a lot of knees and continuing to use a straight right hand as a frequent move in addition to theBomaye (renamedKinshasa in WWE), his newfinisher. It was theBomaye that took him to the finals of the2009 G1 Climax, where he lost to Makabe.[5] Prior to the final, Nakamura had gone undefeated, winning each match with theBomaye. The move was also credited for fracturing IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi's orbital bone in the semi-finals of the G1, which forced Tanahashi to vacate the title later that month.[5]
Nakamura in November 2011
On September 27, Nakamura avenged his G1 loss and defeated Makabe in a decision match to win the IWGP Heavyweight title for a third time.[5] Upon winning the title, Nakamura drew the ire ofAntonio Inoki by announcing his plan of wanting to restore the "Strong Style" of New Japan by capturing the original IWGP Heavyweight Championship belt from Inoki to replace the fourth generation title belt held by Nakamura.[15] On October 12, Nakamura successfully defended the title againstShinjiro Otani.[16] On November 8, atDestruction '09, Nakamura successfully defended the title against previous champion Hiroshi Tanahashi.[17] On December 5, Nakamura retained the title by defeatingYuji Nagata.[18] On January 4, 2010, atWrestle Kingdom IV in Tokyo Dome, Nakamura successfully defended the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Yoshihiro Takayama in a rematch of their 2004 Tokyo Dome title unification bout.[19] Nakamura was then challenged byManabu Nakanishi, whom he would pin on February 14 at New Japan's ISM show in Sumo Hall, making his fifth defense.[20] On April 4, Nakamura made his sixth successful title defense against the2010 New Japan Cup winner and former teammate Hirooki Goto and afterwards accepted Togi Makabe's challenge for the title.[21] On May 3, atWrestling Dontaku 2010, Nakamura lost the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to Makabe.[22] Following the loss, Nakamura was sidelined with a shoulder injury until he returned on June 19 atDominion 6.19, defeatingDaniel Puder.Atsushi Sawada and Simon Inoki of IGF appeared at the show and seemed to eye up Nakamura after the match.[23][24] On July 19, Nakamura lost to Makabe in a rematch for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.[25] The following month, Nakamura entered the2010 G1 Climax, where he won four out of his seven-round robin stage matches, including one over eventual winnerSatoshi Kojima, leading his block heading to the final day, where he wrestledPro Wrestling Noah'sGo Shiozaki to a 30-minute time limit draw and thus missed the finals of the tournament by a single point.[26][27] The draw with Shiozaki led to a no time limit match at a Pro Wrestling Noah show on August 22, where Nakamura was defeated.[28] Despite losing to Goto in a number one contender's match on October 11, Nakamura was hand-picked by new IWGP Heavyweight Champion Satoshi Kojima as his first challenger.[29] The title match took place on December 11, which Nakamura lost.[30]
On January 4, 2011, Nakamura avenged his loss to Go Shiozaki by defeating him in a singles match atWrestle Kingdom V in Tokyo Dome.[31] On May 3, Nakamura failed in his attempt to regain the IWGP Heavyweight Championship from Hiroshi Tanahashi.[32] From late May to early June, Nakamura worked a tour with Mexican promotionConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), whom New Japan had a working agreement with.[33] On August 1, Nakamura entered the2011 G1 Climax and after winning seven out of his nine-round robin stage matches finished first in his block to advance to the finals of the tournament. On August 14, Nakamura defeatedTetsuya Naito to win the 2011 G1 Climax and earn another shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.[34] Nakamura went on to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship on September 19, but he failed to recapture the title from Tanahashi.[35] In the2011 G1 Tag League, Nakamura teamed with Toru Yano as the Chaos Top Team, winning all five of their group stage matches, advancing to the semi-finals of the tournament with a clean sheet.[36] On November 6, Nakamura and Yano were eliminated from the tournament in the semi-finals by the team ofLance Archer andMinoru Suzuki.[37] On January 4, 2012, atWrestle Kingdom VI in Tokyo Dome, the Chaos Top Team was defeated by Pro Wrestling Noah representatives Go Shiozaki andNaomichi Marufuji.[38]
On July 22, Nakamura defeated Hirooki Goto to win theIWGP Intercontinental Championship for the first time.[39] In August's2012 G1 Climax tournament, Nakamura wrestled in the same block as fellow Chaos member and recent IWGP Heavyweight ChampionKazuchika Okada. The two stablemates faced each other on August 5, with Nakamura picking up the win, effectively solidifying his spot as the leader of Chaos.[40] After four wins and three losses, Nakamura lost to Hiroyoshi Tenzan in the final day of the tournament and was eliminated from the finals, failing to defend his crown.[41] On August 26, Nakamura traveled to the United States to make his first successful defense of the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, defeating Oliver John at a Sacramento Wrestling Federation (SWF) event inGridley, California.[42][43] The following day, Nakamura threw theceremonial first pitch at aMajor League Baseball game between theTexas Rangers andTampa Bay Rays inArlington, Texas.[44] On October 8, atKing of Pro-Wrestling, Nakamura successfully defended the title in a rematch against Hirooki Goto.[45] On November 11, atPower Struggle, Nakamura made his third successful defense againstKarl Anderson.[46] From November 20 to December 1, Nakamura took part in the round-robin portion of the2012 World Tag League, alongside stablemateTomohiro Ishii under the tag team name Chaos Invincible. The team finished with a record of three wins, which included a win over stablemates Kazuchika Okada andYoshi-Hashi as well as three losses, failing to advance from their block.[47][48] On January 4, 2013, atWrestle Kingdom 7 in Tokyo Dome, Nakamura defeatedKazushi Sakuraba for his fourth successful defense of the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.[49] From January 18 to 19, Nakamura took part in theFantastica Mania 2013 weekend, co-promoted by New Japan and CMLL. In the main event of the second night, Nakamura made his fifth successful defense of the title againstLa Sombra.[50] In early 2013, Nakamura became involved in Chaos' rivalry with New Japan's other top villainous stable,Suzuki-gun.[51] At New Japan's 41st anniversary event on March 3, Nakamura defeated Suzuki-gun's Lance Archer for his sixth successful defense.[52] On April 5, Nakamura and Ishii unsuccessfully challengedKES (Archer andDavey Boy Smith Jr.) for the IWGP Tag Team Championship.[53] Two days later atInvasion Attack, Nakamura successfully defended the IWGP Intercontinental Championship against Smith, avenging the previous loss from the first round of the New Japan Cup.[54] On May 3, atWrestling Dontaku 2013, Nakamura defeated Suzuki-gun's newest memberShelton X Benjamin for his eighth successful defense of the championship.[55]
On May 11, Nakamura left for another tour with Mexican promotion CMLL.[56] His first match back in Mexico took place the following day when he teamed withEl Felino andNegro Casas in asix-man tag teamtwo out of three falls match atArena Coliseo, losing toMáscara Dorada,Rush andTitán.[57] Nakamura quickly started a rivalry with La Sombra and after suffering twopinfall defeats in six-man tag team matches on April 17 and 24 accepted his challenge for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, setting up a Fantastica Mania 2013 rematch between the two.[58][59] On May 31, Nakamura lost the IWGP Intercontinental Championship to La Sombra, ending his reign at 313 days and eight successful title defenses.[60][61] Nakamura wrestled his final match of the tour on June 9, losing to Rush.[62] Nakamura returned to New Japan on June 22 atDominion 6.22, where he and Tomohiro Ishii lost toMinoru Suzuki and Shelton X Benjamin, whopinned Nakamura for the win.[63] On July 20, Nakamura regained the IWGP Intercontinental Championship from La Sombra, becoming the first multi-time holder of the title.[64] From August 1 to 11, Nakamura took part in the2013 G1 Climax.[65] Finishing with a record of five wins and four losses, Nakamura narrowly failed to advance to the finals after losing to Benjamin on the final day.[66] On September 29, atDestruction, Nakamura defeated Benjamin to make the first successful defense of his second reign as the IWGP Intercontinental Champion.[67] His second successful defense took place on October 14 atKing of Pro-Wrestling, when he defeated Pro Wrestling Noah representative Naomichi Marufuji.[68] On November 9, atPower Struggle, Nakamura made his third successful title defense against Minoru Suzuki in a match which had the added stipulation that Nakamura would have had to join Suzuki-gun had he lost the title. Post-match, Nakamura nominated Hiroshi Tanahashi as his next challenger, setting up the first title match between the two longtime rivals in over two years.[69] From November 23 to December 7, Nakamura and Ishii took part in the2013 World Tag League, where they finished with a record of three wins and three losses, with a loss against Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma on the final day costing them a spot in the semi-finals.[70]
On January 4, 2014, Nakamura lost the IWGP Intercontinental Championship to Tanahashi in the main event ofWrestle Kingdom 8 in Tokyo Dome,[71] and lost a rematch on February 9 atThe New Beginning in Hiroshima.[72] In March, Nakamura took part in the2014 New Japan Cup, which he won, defeatingBad Luck Fale in the finals on March 23 and challenging Tanahashi to another rematch for the title.[73] On April 6, atInvasion Attack 2014, Nakamura defeated Tanahashi to win the IWGP Intercontinental Championship for the third time.[74] The following month, Nakamura took part in NJPW's North American tour, defeatingRing of Honor (ROH) wrestlerKevin Steen in an interpromotional match on May 17 atWar of the Worlds.[75] On May 25, atBack to the Yokohama Arena, Nakamura made the first successful defense of his third reign as the IWGP Intercontinental Champion against Daniel Gracie.[76] On June 21, atDominion 6.21, Nakamura lost the title to Bad Luck Fale in his second defense.[77] In the2014 G1 Climax, Nakamura won his block with eight wins and two losses, advancing to the finals on August 10,[78] where he lost to Chaos stablemate Kazuchika Okada.[79] On September 21, atDestruction in Kobe, Nakamura regained the IWGP Intercontinental Championship from Bad Luck Fale.[80] He made his first successful title defense on November 8 atPower Struggle against Katsuyori Shibata.[81] From November 23 to December 5, Nakamura took part in the2014 World Tag League alongside Tomohiro Ishii.[82] The team finished second in their block with a record of four wins and three losses, narrowly missing the finals of the tournament due to losing to Hirooki Goto and Katsuyori Shibata on the final day.[83] On January 4, 2015, atWrestle Kingdom 9 in Tokyo Dome, Nakamura made his second successful defense of the IWGP Intercontinental Championship againstKota Ibushi.[84] His third defense took place on February 14 atThe New Beginning in Sendai, where Nakamura defeated Yuji Nagata.[85] On May 3, Nakamura's fourth title reign ended after losing to Goto atWrestling Dontaku 2015,[86] and he lost his rematch for the title on July 5 atDominion 7.5 in Osaka-jo Hall.[87]
From July 23 to August 15, Nakamura took part in the round-robin stage of the2015 G1 Climax.[88] Despite missing one match due to an elbow injury,[89] Nakamura won his block and advanced to the finals by defeating reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion and Chaos stablemate Kazuchika Okada in his last round-robin match, giving him a record of seven wins and two losses.[90] On August 16, Nakamura was defeated in the finals of the tournament by Hiroshi Tanahashi.[91] On September 27, atDestruction in Kobe, Nakamura defeated Hirooki Goto to win the IWGP Intercontinental Championship for the fifth time; this would remain the record for most reigns untilTetsuya Naito became a six-time champion in 2020.[92] He made his first successful title defense on November 7 atPower Struggle against Karl Anderson.[93] He made his second successful defense on January 4, 2016, by defeatingA.J. Styles atWrestle Kingdom 10 in Tokyo Dome.[94] Hours after the event, it was reported that Nakamura had given his notice to NJPW on the morning of January 4, announcing that he was leaving the promotion for WWE.[95] Nakamura remained under NJPW contract and was expected to finish off his contracted dates with the promotion before leaving.[96][97] On January 12, NJPW confirmed Nakamura's upcoming departure, announcing he would also be stripped of the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.[98] Nakamura handed in the title on January 25, officially ending his fifth reign.[99] Nakamura wrestled his last match under his NJPW contract on January 30, where he, Kazuchika Okada and Tomohiro Ishii defeated Hirooki Goto, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Katsuyori Shibata.[100]
Before Nakamura's departure from NJPW, ROH had announced that he would be appearing at their14th Anniversary Show inLas Vegas as part of ROH's cross-promotion deal with NJPW, but ROH was forced to pull him from the event due to Nakamura signing an exclusive WWE contract.[101]
On January 6, 2016, Nakamura confirmed in an interview withTokyo Sports that he would be leaving NJPW at the end of the month and signing withWWE.[103] On January 27, WWE officially announced that Nakamura would be taking part in theNXT TakeOver: Dallas event.[104] On January 31, Nakamura was confirmed to have finished his NJPW commitments and was said to be reporting to theWWE Performance Center for training and handling logistical matters regarding his move to the company.[105] On February 2, Nakamura arrived inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania to undergo pre-contract signing medical tests.[106] On February 22, WWE held a press conference in Tokyo, Japan to officially announce the signing of Nakamura toNXT.[107][108] On April 1, Nakamura defeatedSami Zayn in his debut match at NXT TakeOver: Dallas.[109] On the April 13 episode ofNXT, Nakamura defeatedTye Dillinger in his NXT television debut.[110]
On the May 25 episode ofNXT,Austin Aries declared his intention to become the nextNXT Champion, prompting a response from Nakamura, and NXT general managerWilliam Regal scheduled a match between the two on June 8 atNXT TakeOver: The End,[111] which Nakamura won.[112] On the June 15 episode ofNXT, Nakamura challenged former NXT ChampionFinn Bálor to a match that was accepted and won by Nakamura on the July 13 episode ofNXT.[113][114] AtNXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II on August 20, Nakamura defeatedSamoa Joe to win his first NXT Championship.[115] On November 19, atNXT TakeOver: Toronto, Nakamura lost the title to Joe in his first defense, marking his first televised loss in NXT.[116] On the December 28 episode ofNXT from Osaka, Japan, Nakamura would regain the NXT Championship from Joe.[117] On the January 4, 2017, episode ofNXT, he successfully defended the championship against Joe in asteel cage match, ending their feud.[118]
AtNXT TakeOver: San Antonio on January 28, Nakamura lost the NXT Championship toBobby Roode.[119] In his return match on March 8, Nakamura defeatedT. J. Perkins and was put into a rematch to face Roode for the NXT Championship atNXT TakeOver: Orlando on April 1,[120][121] but he was unsuccessful in reclaiming the championship.[122] On the April 12 episode ofNXT, Nakamura made his final NXT appearance, bidding farewell to theFull Sail University crowd.[123]
On the April 4 episode ofSmackDown Live followingWrestleMania 33, Nakamura made his main roster debut, interruptingThe Miz andMaryse following their promo mockingJohn Cena andNikki Bella, officially joiningthe brand in the process. However, a feud never materialized as Miz and Maryse would move toRaw during theSuperstar Shake-up.[124] Nakamura would eventually have his first feud withDolph Ziggler, culminating in a match atBacklash on May 21, where he won in his main roster in-ring debut.[125] Nakamura was then announced as a competitor in theMoney in the Bank ladder match atMoney in the Bank.[126] At the event on June 18, while Nakamura made his entrance,Baron Corbin attacked him with both a ladder and a camera. He was checked on by medical staff and carried out of the arena, but he later returned during the match and attacked all other participants, only to lose the match as Corbin retrieved the briefcase.[127] AtBattleground on July 23, Nakamura defeated Corbin by disqualification after Corbin attacked him with alow blow.[128] Two nights later onSmackDown Live, Nakamura defeated Corbin in a rematch, ending their feud.[129] On the August 1 episode ofSmackDown Live, Nakamura defeatedJohn Cena to earn aWWE Championship match againstJinder Mahal on August 20 atSummerSlam,[130][131] which he lost after interference fromThe Singh Brothers, marking his first pinfall loss on the main roster.[132] Nakamura defeatedRandy Orton on the September 5 episode ofSmackDown Live to earn a rematch for the WWE Championship atHell in a Cell on October 8,[133][134] but was again defeated.[135] On November 19, atSurvivor Series, Nakamura competed as part of Team SmackDown in the5-on-5 Survivor Series elimination match, but was the first man eliminated byBraun Strowman, and his team lost toTeam Raw.[136] AtClash of Champions on December 17, Nakamura and Orton lost toKevin Owens and Sami Zayn, who retained their jobs withDaniel Bryan andShane McMahon serving as special guest referees.[137]
Nakamura attacking Styles after their match atWrestleMania 34
At theRoyal Rumble on January 28, 2018, Nakamura entered theRoyal Rumble match at number 14, which he won after last eliminatingRoman Reigns.[138] Immediately afterwards, Nakamura announced that he would challengeAJ Styles for the WWE Championship atWrestleMania 34.[139] At the event on April 8, Nakamura lost to Styles; after the match, Nakamura turnedheel by attacking Styles with a low blow followed by aKinshasa.[140] On the following episode ofSmackDown Live, Nakamura said in an interview that he got "too emotional" and was "sorry" for attacking Styles, but when asked to explain more, he sarcastically said "Sorry, no speak English". Later that night, Nakamura cemented his heel turn by attacking Styles and Daniel Bryan, low blowing Styles twice and striking Bryan in the back of the head with aKinshasa.[141] Over the following weeks, Nakamura continued to low blow Styles[142][143] and received a rematch for the WWE Championship at theGreatest Royal Rumble on April 27,[144] where Nakamura and Styles fought to a double count-out, with Styles retaining the title.[145] Another rematch between the two was made forBacklash with ano disqualification stipulation added on the May 1 episode ofSmackDown Live.[146][147] At the event on May 6, Nakamura and Styles fought to a no contest after low blowing each other, with Styles again retaining the title.[148] Looking for a decisive winner, SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon announced one more rematch between the two atMoney in the Bank.[149] Nakamura was granted the right to choose the stipulation for the match after defeating Styles on the May 15 episode ofSmackDown Live, which he revealed the following week to be aLast Man Standing match after attacking Styles with aKinshasa andgiving him a 10-count.[150][151] At the event on June 17, Nakamura failed to win the title, ending their feud.[152] He then suffered a minor injury after apolice dog bit his left leg.[153]
AtExtreme Rules on July 15, Nakamura defeatedJeff Hardy by executing a low blow andKinshasa to win theWWE United States Championship, his first title on the main roster.[154] On August 19, Nakamura successfully defended the title against Hardy atSummerSlam.[155] After refusing to defend the WWE United States Championship at theHell in a Cell pay-per-view on September 16, general managerPaige ordered Nakamura to defend the championship on the September 18 episode ofSmackDown Live, which he did successfully againstRusev.[156][157] AtSmackDown 1000, Nakamura lost to the returningRey Mysterio in a qualifying match for theWWE World Cup atCrown Jewel.[158] On November 2, he successfully defended the title against Rusev at Crown Jewel.[159] AtSurvivor Series on November 18, Nakamura lost to Raw'sWWE Intercontinental ChampionSeth Rollins in an interbrand Champion vs Champion match.[160] On the December 25 episode ofSmackDown Live, Nakamura lost the United States Championship to Rusev, ending his reign at 156 days.[161]
On January 27, 2019, at theRoyal Rumble, Nakamura defeated Rusev to win his second United States Championship.[162] Later that night, he participated in the Royal Rumble match, entering at #3, but was eliminated byMustafa Ali.[163] Two days later onSmackDown Live, Nakamura lost the title toR-Truth. Rusev then confronted Truth and pushed him into a title match, but Truth retained the title. After the match, Nakamura joined forces with Rusev into attacking Truth, starting an alliance between the two.[164] At theFastlane pre-show on March 2, Nakamura and Rusev were defeated byThe New Day.[165] AtWrestleMania 35 on April 7, Nakamura and Rusev competed in afatal four-way tag team match for theSmackDown Tag Team Championship, but lost.[166]
On July 14, at theExtreme Rules pre-show, Nakamura defeatedIntercontinental ChampionFinn Bálor to win the title for the first time in his career.[167] This win made him the second man, afterChris Jericho, to have held both the IWGP and WWE Intercontinental Championship, as well as the first Asian-born wrestler to win the title. On July 27, he retained his title againstAli atSmackville.[168] He then started an alliance withSami Zayn, defeatingThe Miz with his help atClash of Champions on September 15 to retain the title.[169] AtCrown Jewel on October 31, Nakamura was a member ofTeam Flair, losing toTeam Hogan.[170] AtSurvivor Series on November 24, Nakamura lost toNXT North American ChampionRoderick Strong in an inter-brand triple threat match also involving Raw's United States Champion AJ Styles.[171] On the November 29 episode ofSmackDown, Nakamura and Zayn formed an alliance withCesaro, thus forming a stable known as The Artist Collective. That same night, Nakamura and Cesaro failed to win the SmackDown Tag Team Championship from The New Day.[172]
AtRoyal Rumble on January 26, 2020, Nakamura entered the Royal Rumble match at #11, but was eliminated byBrock Lesnar.[173] On the January 31 episode ofSmackDown, Nakamura lost the Intercontinental Championship toBraun Strowman, ending his reign at 201 days.[174] AtElimination Chamber on March 8, Zayn, along with Nakamura and Cesaro, defeated Strowman in 3-on-1 handicap match for the title; Zayn won by pinning Strowman.[175] Nakamura began teaming with Cesaro more frequently as they feuded with New Day for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship.[176][177] On July 19, atThe Horror Show at Extreme Rules, Nakamura and Cesaro defeatedKofi Kingston andBig E in atables match to capture the titles.[178] On the October 9 episode ofSmackDown, they lost the titles to Kingston andXavier Woods.[179]
On the January 8, 2021, episode ofSmackDown, Nakamura competed in a gauntlet match to determine the challenger for theWWE Universal Championship at theRoyal Rumble, defeatingRey Mysterio,King Corbin, andDaniel Bryan, the latter of whom he proceeded to shake hands with following Bryan's loss, before he lost toAdam Pearce after being assaulted by championRoman Reigns andJey Uso, turningface.[180]At Royal Rumble on January 31, Nakamura entered at #7, but was eliminated by King Corbin.[181] On the May 14 episode ofSmackDown, after losing to Corbin, Nakamura attacked him before stealing his crown, starting a feud between the two.[182] The next week,Rick Boogs became an ally of Nakamura, playing the guitar for him during his entrance.[183] On the June 18 episode ofSmackDown, Nakamura defeated Corbin in a "Battle for the Crown" match to become the new King.[184] Now known as "King Nakamura", he defeated Corbin on the July 9 episode ofSmackDown to qualify for the Money in the Bank ladder match at thetitular event on July 18,[185] which was won by Big E.[186] On the August 13 episode ofSmackDown, Nakamura defeatedApollo Crews to win his second Intercontinental Championship.[187] He defeated Crews in a rematch on the September 24 episode ofSmackDown to retain the title in his only successful defense.[188] On the October 8 episode ofSmackDown, just prior to the start of theKing of the Ring tournament that night, Nakamura relinquished the crown.[189] AtSurvivor Series on November 21, Nakamura defeated United States ChampionDamian Priest by disqualification in a champion vs. champion match.[190] On the February 18, 2022 (taped February 11)[191] episode ofSmackDown, Nakamura lost the title to Sami Zayn, ending his reign at 189 days.[192]
At Night 1 ofWrestleMania 38 on April 2, Boogs and Nakamura facedThe Usos for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship in a losing effort.[193]
After six months away from WWE programming, Nakamura made his return on the April 14, 2023, episode ofSmackDown, scoring a victory overMadcap Moss, but was then drafted to theRawbrand during the2023 WWE Draft,[194][195] where he turnedheel.[196][197] Nakamura wrestled Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship from Rollins on September 2 atPayback and atFastlane on October 7 in aLast Man Standing match, but he didn't win the title.[198][199]
Nakamura then began appearing in pre-filmed promos, challenging an unspecified wrestler.[200][201] He subsequently began a feud with Rhodes after spraying his face with mist on the November 27 episode ofRaw.[202] On the December 11 episode ofRaw, Rhodes defeated Nakamura by disqualification as Nakamura once again utilized the mist to blind Rhodes.[203] Nakamura continued to torment Rhodes through promos,[204][205] leading to a Street Fight match on the January 8, 2024 episode ofRaw, where Nakamura lost to Rhodes.[206] On January 27, at theRoyal Rumble, Nakamura entered at #6, before he was eliminated by eventual winner Rhodes.[207] On the February 5 episode ofRaw, Nakamura lost to Rhodes in a Bull Rope match, ending their feud.[208]
In the2024 Draft, Nakamura was drafted back to theSmackDown brand.[209] Following the Draft, he would have another lengthy absence from television, mostly appearing onhouse shows before making his on-screen return seven months later on the November 15 episode ofSmackDown, attackingUnited States ChampionLA Knight after his title match againstBerto.[210] During this time, Nakamura would debut a sinister, samurai-themed gimmick. He had his televised return match on the November 29 episode ofSmackDown, defeatingAndrade before spraying poison mist in Knight's face.[211] AtSurvivor Series: WarGames on November 30, Nakamura defeated Knight to win the United States Championship for the third time.[212] On the January 10, 2025 episode ofSmackDown, Nakamura made his first title defense against Knight, which ended in a disqualification loss for Nakamura whenThe Bloodline'sTama Tonga andJacob Fatu attacked Knight. However, since championships do not change hands via disqualification or countout unless stipulated, Nakamura remained champion.[213] On the March 7 episode ofSmackDown, Nakamura lost the title back to Knight in a rematch, ending his third reign at 97 days.[214] On the October 10 episode ofSmackDown, Nakamura returned after a brief hiatus as a face with his old entrance theme, accepting Sami Zayn's open challenge for the United States Championship but the match ended in a no contest after both men were attacked by theMFT.[215]
On October 30, 2022,Pro Wrestling Noah announced that Nakamura (while under WWE contract) would beThe Great Muta's opponent for theNoah The New Year show on January 1, 2023.[216] At the event, Nakamura defeated Muta, his long-time idol, in a dramatic finish.[217] In December, the match was awarded the Best Bout Award (2023) by Tokyo Sports, recognizing it as one of the most outstanding matches of the year in Japan.[218]
On October 14, 2024, in a Pro Wrestling Noah event at Korakuen Hall, Keiji Muto announced thatUlka Sasaki would face Nakamura on January 1, 2025 atNippon Budokan, as part of theNoah The New Year 2025 show.[219] Nakamura defeated Sasaki at the event.
Along with fellow NJPW wrestlerKazuchika Okada, Nakamura is featured in the Japanese music video directed by fashion designer, DJ and record producerNigo forPharrell Williams' song "Happy", released in May 2014.[220]
On May 27, 2014, Nakamura published an autobiography titledKing of Strong Style: 1980–2014.[221] An English language version of the book was released byViz Media on August 7, 2018.[222]
^After winning the IGF's version of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, also known as the IWGP 3rd Belt Championship, the title was unified with the NJPW sanctioned IWGP Heavyweight Championship, which Nakamura also held at the time.
^After winning the NWF Heavyweight Championship, the title was unified with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, which Nakamura also held at the time.
^"SmackDown results, May 21, 2021: SmackDown's Fatal 4-Way Fades to Black".WWE. May 21, 2021. Archived fromthe original on June 6, 2021. RetrievedMay 31, 2021.As he prepared to dish out retribution on Shinsuke Nakamura in a one-on-on encounter for stealing his crown last week, King Corbin was suddenly interrupted by new Superstar Rick Boogs, who preceded to play the theme song for The King of Strong Style's entrance.
^Lambert, Jeremy (October 10, 2025)."Tama Tonga Returns On WWE SmackDown".Fightful | WWE News, AEW News, Pro Wrestling Backstage News. RetrievedOctober 11, 2025.
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