5 bizarre booking decisions WWE made this week

#2 Otis defeats Shinsuke Nakamura on WWE SmackDown

Shinsuke Nakamura is a former Intercontinental Champion in WWE

On this week's edition of WWE Friday Night SmackDown, Otis defeated "The Artist" Shinsuke Nakamura in what was essentially a squash match for the former Money in the Bank winner.

.@ShinsukeN and @otiswwe collide RIGHT NOW on #SmackDown! pic.twitter.com/d7BYR2AGS5

— WWE (@WWE) December 19, 2020

This match was an opportunity for WWE to showcase what Otis has learned under the tutelage of his new coach, Chad Gable. It was a fine exhibition, and both competitors performed well in the little time they had.

The problem with the match wasn't the time allotted or the result. Instead, it's fair to critique how WWE used Nakamura as fodder for Otis. WWE's decision to use "The Artist" like this shows just how far his stock has fallen.

.@otiswwe tries to put those Alpha Academy training techniques to use against @ShinsukeN. #SmackDown @WWEGable pic.twitter.com/UDn3CDuCrZ

— WWE (@WWE) December 19, 2020

Shinsuke Nakamura has been criminally underutilized in WWE.

Nakamura is one of the best and most entertaining wrestlers on the planet. But WWE fails to put him in positions where Nakamura can thrive. Sure, he has accomplished a lot in WWE. In 2018, he won the Royal Rumble, and he should have defeated AJ Styles at WrestleMania 34.

But an ill-advised heel turn during this storyline derailed Nakamura's career. He has never been able to recover, as he has been stuck in the midcard ever since.

Nakamura faced AJ Styles for the WWE Championship in 2018

If WWE continues to book him in to take losses in two-minute squash matches, he'll never return to the heights he enjoyed in his initial run on the main roster.