Ever since appearing on the first SmackDown post-Wrestlemania, the WWE Universe has been left in awe of the artist known as Shinsuke Nakamura. Week after week, his music leaves the crowd singing and harmonising throughout the show.
He’s soon become the focal point of the show and his rise will certainly be unprecedented. Right now he’s engaged in a hot-cold feud with Dolph Ziggler, a feud that looks set to culminate in a match at WWE Backlash.
For Nakamura to grow into the household name we know he can be, he needs the right opponents to bring the best out of him. As summer quickly approaches, it’s time for the WWE to start planting seeds for the biggest pay-per-view of the summer, Summerslam.
Here are 5 matches for Shinsuke Nakamura at Summerslam’17.
#5 Sami Zayn
After the classic they had back in NXT, there’s no reason as to why this match can’t happen at a WWE pay-per-view. Sami Zayn and Shinsuke Nakamura are two exquisite wrestlers that can perform in any type of wrestling match in the world. They’re exceptional and deserve to be on the second biggest PPV of the year stealing the whole show.
At this moment in time, Sami Zayn is a bit lost in the shuffle on SmackDownLive. Many wanted to him to say goodbye to RAW but life is not that much better on Tuesday nights. The Canadian is constantly losing matches with no real storyline direction.
However, a slow build to a showdown with Nakamura at Summerslam could be everything the underdog from the underground needs for a revival.
#4 Randy Orton
As the current WWE champion, Randy Orton has an ever-present target on his back. The 13-time world champion is currently engrossed in a feud with Jinder Mahal, but after that’s done, the champion will need legitimate competition. At 36 years of age, Nakamura is a veteran in his own right and he’s not afraid of the bright lights.
Despite being labelled as boring and stagnant, we should not forget that Randy Orton is one of the cleanest workers we’ve ever seen. The man knows how to make any move look smooth and any wrestler look competent.
With the skillset Shinsuke Nakamura has, Randy Orton could make the Japanese star look like a trillion bucks. Not only as a wrestler but also as a character, as a win over one of the most famous names in wrestling, would take Nakamura to heights he never thought possible.
#3 Kevin Owens
As the new face of America, Kevin Owens is the centrepiece of SmackDown.
The monstrous heel has ensured that everyone in the WWE Universe is talking about him after his savage attack on Chris Jericho last week. The United States champion has shown the world that not only is he a great technical wrestler but also a ruthless character.
Such rawness fused with the charisma of Shinsuke Nakamura would create epic television. It’d provide storytelling that wouldn’t even need much talking as the wrestling would translate for us.
As two wrestlers who have performed all over the world, both Nakamura and Owens are seasoned veterans that would put on the perfect match needed for the big stage of Summerslam.
#2 John Cena
He might be on a Hollywood hiatus at the moment, but when the 16-time world champion comes home, he’ll be looking for top-level competition. And it doesn’t get more high-profile than Shinsuke Nakamura.
As two men on either side of 40, they’ve both done it all in their respective fields. One has dominated Japan whilst the other has had his name in bright lights all over America, now it’s time for speculation to be put to bed at Summerslam.
If you hadn’t noticed a recent pattern, John Cena has an incredibly bad record at Summerslam. It seems as though the company uses the event for Cena to put someone over and then they give him back his dues at Wrestlemania.
This would perfectly suit the artist, Shinsuke Nakamura, as there isn’t a bigger name to have a clean win over than John Cena. Book it, Vince.
#1 AJ Styles
After producing one of the most memorable matches in Wrestle Kingdom history, fans have wanted nothing more than to see the two wrestling icons lace it up again. AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura were literally the two names that appealed to a worldwide audience back in Japan.
The two were the standout stars and in the WWE, they could be the same.
Major WWE PPVs are always set up the same. The two big muscley main eventers headline the show, while two ‘internet darlings’ steal the spotlight in the mid-card. This year should be no different as Styles and Nakamura should show the world what pure wrestling really looks like.
If given a 30-minutes slot, nobody would be talking about anything else besides the duo after the show.
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