Shinsuke Nakamura says he cried after his NJPW match with Brock Lesnar

Shinsuke Nakamura was not pleased with Brock Lesnar’s run in New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW).

In 2005 Lesnar joined NJPW after a failed bid at a career in the NFL. He won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in October of that year and successfully defended it at one point against Shinsuke Nakamura. According to Squared Circle Subreddit, Nakamura mentioned in his The King of Strong Style: 1980-2014 book that he cried after his match with Lesnar.

Nakamura said it was the first time he cried in wrestling, and explained how Lesnar’s lack of passion for the business spoiled what was supposed to be a special moment in his career:

“Part of that was luck. But that match was seriously rough. First, Lesnar was saying all this stuff about how he respected New Japan, but it felt to me like that was just for show, that he didn’t really respect the promotion.

“Like, somewhere, he was looking down on Japanese people. I lost the match, and that was the first time I cried at pro wrestling after a match. It was the main event at Tokyo Dome. This was a pretty hallowed stage, and I knew I hadn’t fought the way I imagined I would.

“And there was, like, this temperature difference between me and Lesnar. I didn’t get the sense he had any love for pro wrestling. It felt like he was just doing his job.”

In a recent interview with Channel Guide Magazine, Nakamura admitted that he’d like a rematch with “The Beast” – but he’d need to prepare his body for the brutality:

“If I get a chance, I would be up for that,” Nakamura said. “My body would need to be ready because he is tough. Ouch.”