In promotion of WrestleMania 34, WWE documented WWE Superstar Shinsuke Nakamura, a uniquely talented and wildly charismatic Japanese competitor, over a series of several months as he prepared for the main event of WWE's biggest show of the year. The goal of the project was to endear Nakamura to a wider audience as viewers learned what his life was like both in and out of the ring.
The premise for WWE Chronicle is deceptively simple — film with a single subject across several months and see what twists and turns their lives may take. What was revealed in our first episode was surprisingly complex. Over the course of the 37-minute episode, WWE fans learned more about Shinsuke Nakamura than they ever knew, including how the death of his father inspired him to become a professional wrestler, how surfing provides him with his greatest escape, and what life in America is like for a Japanese expat who has only recently learned the English language.
A single producer/cameraman documented Nakamura from January through April and was granted intimate access into the performer's personal and professional life. While the series was designed as somewhat of a promotional video for Nakamura's marquee match at WrestleMania, it was the revealing look at Nakamura as a human being that made the greatest impact on the episode.
Shinsuke Nakamura's episode of WWE Chronicle was viewed more than 1 million times across WWE's official YouTube channel, Facebook page and official website. It was also made available on the WWE Network.
