Mark Mainz/Getty Images

One of professional wrestling's biggest international stars is going to the WWE as Shinsuke Nakamura has been confirmed to begin work with NXT.

WWE.com had the news:

NXT announced the news with a video welcoming the new star. It was also announced that Nakamura will make his debut against Sami Zayn at the April 1 NXT “Takeover: Dallas,” per PWMania.com.



The 35-year-old Nakamura has been among New Japan Pro Wrestling's top draws for the better part of a decade, and he has a strong resume to show for it with five IWGP Intercontinental Championships and three IWGP Heavyweight Championship reigns to his credit.



After accomplishing essentially everything possible in NJPW, however, rumors began to swirl that a move to WWE was on the horizon.

Following his Wrestle Kingdom 10 win over A.J. Styles, reports surfaced that Nakamura, Styles, Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows were all on the verge of joining the sports entertainment giant. Styles made his WWE main roster debut at the 2016 Royal Rumble as the third entrant.

Several additional articles regarding the NJPW stars were subsequently written, including an interview with Finn Balor, in which the NXT champion offered a great deal of praise for the King of Strong Style, per WWE.com's Anthony Benigno and Dustin Wallace. "Nakamura, being one of the most charismatic wrestlers on the planet, is an absolute game-changer unlike anyone that is out there right now," Balor said.

Video Play Button Videos you might like

While WWE capitalized on the buzz that the New Japan exodus rumors created, it was far from the first time that Nakamura's name was mentioned in the same breath as WWE.

In an interview with Title Match Wrestling (h/t Sean Rueter of CagesideSeats.com) in April 2015, Daniel Bryan revealed that he proposed an idea to WWE management that would have involved him facing Nakamura during a tour of Japan:

I pitched this. I have pitched this. I want to wrestle Shinsuke Nakamura. So, he and I lived together for a brief bit in Santa Monica, California, and we're doing a tour of Japan soon, and I thought, 'Oh, what a great inter-promotional thing it would be if I were to wrestle Shinsuke Nakamura.' And not only that it would be fun, it would be rewarding and if we put it on the Network and they could put in on their New Japan World or whatever it is that they have and then, it would be a win/win for everybody. But, I don't know if anybody bought that idea.

Although nothing ever came of it, Nakamura even accepted Bryan's challenge on Twitter:

That showed Nakamura's willingness to work with WWE in some capacity, and it may have laid the groundwork for him to officially sign with the company.

While Nakamura figures to face some barriers working full time in U.S., particularly when it comes to cutting promos in a second language, he seems well-equipped to handle it.

The so-called Supernova has an unspoken charisma that has captivated wrestling fans across the world, and that should serve him well as he adjusts to life under the WWE umbrella.

With Nakamura officially in the fold, the focus shifts toward potential dream matches for the master of the Bomaye knee strike.

Fellow Japanese Superstar Hideo Itami is an enticing option since they have never before faced each other in a singles match.

The addition of Nakamura gives NXT a ton of intriguing possibilities, and with WWE Network taking off globally and in Japan in particular, his arrival couldn't come at a better time.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.