Despite being a NJPW wrestler through-and-through, Nakamura’s popularity has soared (both locally in Japan and around the world). He has such an undeniable degree of magnetism about him that he draws in non-Japanese fans just as much as local ones.

This is especially true of North American fans, because they have been exposed to outlandish characters more than their Japanese counterparts, and want to see more of that, considering that the wrestling world in general seems to be moving towards a more realistic and serious character philosophy.

Nakamura’s international popularity stems from a series of international tours and partnerships with American, British and Mexican promotions. These decisions have created a true international superstar with an immense fan following that knows no geographic or linguistic borders.

These days, it’s very rare for a wrestler to be so beloved by his audience that fans chant ‘this is awesome’ before that wrestler even does anything. But that’s how popular Nakamura has become.

For another great example, look no further than Daniel Bryan, who lobbied WWE to let him wrestle Nakamura at the ‘Beast in the East’ special (before he got injured). Bryan knew that Nakamura is a huge draw, and their similar styles and explosive charisma would’ve been a huge hit with both WWE’s regular fan base and the Japanese audience.