WWE’s Shinsuke Nakamura: Anatomy of the Kinshasa
WWE is home to some of the most unique superstars in wrestling and
all sports. Out of the whole roster, no one is more idiosyncratic than
The Artist Known As Shinsuke Nakamura.
His Michael Jackson-esque movements and hypersonic kicks are equally
unorthodox and lethal. The centrepiece of it all is the Kinshasa, a
running knee strike to the head.
It looks simple but there’s more behind just a KNEE… TO…
FACE! The story begins before WWE, 30 years before Shinsuke even began
wrestling.
What is Strong Style?
To explain the Kinshasa, one must explain the meaning of Strong
Style. After all, Shinsuke Nakamura is widely known as “The King Of
Strong Style”.
This form of pro wrestling was innovated by Antonio Inoki upon
starting his New Japan Pro Wrestling promotion in 1972. Strong Style
fuses classic technical wrestling and martial arts techniques with an
emotional edge.
NJPW is not the only catalyst for the Kinshasa. Inoki is also famous for his 1976 exhibition fight with boxer Muhammad Ali.
It is the first mixed martial arts match as well as an influence on
Strong Style wrestling. Following the fight, Inoki and Ali became good
friends, with Inoki adopting Ali’s catchphrase “boma ye”. In Lingala, it
translates to “kill him”.
Remember that phrase; “Boma Ye”, as it permeates the whole story.
Knee to Face
29 August, 2002, a 22-year-old Shinsuke Nakamura emerges from the
Inoki Dojo as New Japan Pro Wrestling’s most impressive prospect, their
“Super Rookie”.
What makes his early career so intriguing is that he juggled both
wrestling and mixed martial arts, being a nimble and tough fighter in
each.
The greatest challenge of Nakamura’s MMA run was Alexey Ignashov, a
kickboxer from Belarus. A young and nervous Shinsuke couldn’t control
his anxious shakes, couldn’t focus. He panicked and went for a tackle.
Alexey reversed it with a knee strike to Shinsuke’s face, the first Kinshasa (at 15:59 in the video below) .
His nose was broken and bloody, ending the match by referee stoppage.
After healing the injury, he returned to avenge his no-contest to
Ignashov before hanging up his MMA gloves for good.
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1 comments
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