The Royal Rumble is one of the most anticipated events on WWE’s PPV calendar and it’s the Royal Rumble match itself that makes it such a favorite amongst the fans. The match is exciting and often includes surprise appearances from superstars from the past coupled with the shock returns, which all add up to a fast-paced and unpredictable contest.
It also marks the beginning of the road to WrestleMania and gets fans speculating as to who will be the man to outlast 29 other superstars and go on to headline WWE’s biggest event of the year. The 2017 edition of the Royal Rumble has been no different, as a number of big names have already been rumored to be in line for the big win on January 29th.
However, this article will list 5 reasons as to why Shinsuke Nakamura should be the man who is victorious at this year’s Royal Rumble.
#1 Surprise Winner
Let’s face it; the last few Royal Rumbles have been very disappointing. It’s been a while since there has been a winner that the majority of the fans were genuinely pleased with. So how great would it be to have Shinsuke Nakamura – someone who is universally liked by the fans, to win this year’s Rumble match?
Plus, he would be a shock winner. One of the problems in recent years is that the path to WrestleMania has been far too predictable. Having Nakamura come out of NXT and shock the World by winning the Royal Rumble would go some way to making up for the recent underwhelming winners of this event.
Obviously there have been NXT superstars in the Rumble match over the last few years, but nobody who has had a chance of walking out victorious. Therefore nobody would expect Nakamura to outlast 29 other men to get the win, especially considering he is the current NXT Champion.
It would be a welcome surprise if this were to happen and would also benefit WWE’s main roster moving forward.
#2 Unclear path
Something I loved about Royal Rumbles from the previous brand split was when the winner would have to decide whether they’d face the WWE Champion or the World Champion. This created an unclear path to the winner’s match at WrestleMania and made for some great drama in the lead-up to the ‘Showcase of the Immortals’.
That has been lost in recent Rumbles. It would be nonexistent again this year if a main roster talent were to win, since presumably a Raw winner would face the Universal Champion and a Smackdown Live superstar would receive a shot at the WWE Title.
However, a win for Nakamura at the Royal Rumble would see him have options as to which Champion he would face at WrestleMania. This year would set up potential matches for Nakamura against Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens, AJ Styles or John Cena.
Teasing each of these matches would result in great weeks of television, although there is one man in particular that I’d love to see Nakamura face at Wrestlemania 33…
#3 Nakamura vs AJ Styles
If Shinsuke Nakamura does indeed win the 2017 Royal Rumble, the man I’d love to see him face at WrestleMania is ‘The Phenomenal’ AJ Styles.
The two men have already headlined a major pro-wrestling event when they went one-on-one at NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom 10. So we know they have the ability to draw numbers for such a prestigious event. Also, the majority of WWE fans are unlikely to have seen this bout so it remains a dream match for many of them.
For those who have seen their match from NJPW, you’ll know how well these two men work together. Their hard-hitting, action-packed bout received rave reviews from critics and it’d be great to see them do something similar in a WWE ring.
Also, AJ Styles needs an opponent of Nakamura’s caliber, which brings me on to my next point…
#4 Smackdown’s top babyface
Smackdown Live is in dire need of a top babyface to lead their brand. With John Cena working more of a part-time schedule and Dean Ambrose not being the big draw that many had hoped he would, there is a clear void in the main event scene. Shinsuke Nakamura can fill that void.
Plus, having Nakamura join the blue brand would set-up a whole host of dream matches that could be seen over the coming months and years.
Imagine the ‘King of Strong Style’ feuding with the likes of John Cena, Randy Orton, Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt; not to forget people like Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin, who could also have great matches with Nakamura.
The addition of someone like Shinsuke Nakamura to Tuesday nights could be what Smackdown needs to beat Raw in the ratings on a regular basis.
#5 Because he’s awesome!
Last but not least, the reason Shinsuke Nakamura should win this year’s Royal Rumble is because he’s incredible.
Superstars like Nakamura don’t come along very often; he is an experienced and well-rounded in-ring worker who has put on numerous 5-star matches in his career. But what sets him apart from other pro-wrestlers is his unique and magnetic charisma. There is nobody else on the planet quite like him and, while he has been fantastic for NXT, he is too good to be stuck down on WWE’s developmental brand.
Also, Nakamura is 36-years old so he needs to come up to the main roster soon if WWE is to fully capitalize on the special talent that they have at their disposal. The Royal Rumble gives WWE the opportunity to do just this and, if they do it correctly, it could shake up the entire wrestling world.
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