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King Shinsuke Nakamura is the new Intercontinental Champion as he defeated Apollo Crews this week on Friday Night SmackDown. With this victory, Nakamura kickstarted his second reign as the Intercontinental Champion in WWE.
Less than 10 days away from SummerSlam, the title change on the Blue brand tonight was unexpected. However, the fans are happy to see Nakamura get another run with the Intercontinental title. The question now is - who will step up to him now?
Let's take a look at five possible next opponents for the new Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura. Be sure to comment down and let us know your thoughts on the same.
#5 Finn Balor goes after Shinsuke Nakamura's Intercontinental title
The first-ever Universal Champion, Finn Balor made his return to SmackDown last month after a long second NXT run. WWE soon shocked the fans as The Prince confronted Roman Reigns, laying down a challenge to The Tribal Chief.
A couple of weeks ago, Balor was pretty much robbed out of his big match against Reigns, first by Baron Corbin and finally by John Cena. Finn Balor vs. Roman Reigns is surely a money feud, however, for the time being, Balor might shift his focus to another championship on the Blue brand.
Speaking on Talking Smack after his SmackDown return, he made it clear that he has returned to the brand to win championships.
“Obviously there’s always a plan. I went to NXT, I became NXT Champion. I moved to RAW, I became the first Universal Champion. I became a two-time Intercontinental Champion, went back to NXT, won the NXT Championship, so the reason that I’m here on SmackDown is to win Championships,” said Finn Balor.
Shinsuke Nakamura and Finn Balor are two of the best in the business right now and a feud between them will surely be amazing. The two also have some history as Nakamura won his first Intercontinental Championship in 2019 by defeating Balor.
#4 Apollo Crews asks for his rematch against Shinsuke Nakamura
The WWE Universe has been loving the chemistry between Shinsuke Nakamura and Apollo Crews. The two had an amazing match tonight on Friday Night SmackDown that ended with Nakamura becoming the new Intercontinental Champion.
It is highly likely that Crews will demand a rematch, possibly at SummerSlam later this month. As interesting as their rivalry has been, WWE should be careful to not have the title change hands very frequently. The Japanese superstar should retain his championship at SummerSlam if he faces Crews.
#3 Sami Zayn gets back in the Intercontinental Championship scene
Shinsuke Nakamura's former teammate from The Artist Collective Sami Zayn could be eyeing a return to the Intercontinental title picture. The two former NXT Champions have had some incredible matches in the past and fans won't mind seeing yet another feud between the two.
Zayn lost the Intercontinental Championship to Big E last year on Christmas. He feuded with long-time rival Kevin Owens earlier this year, losing to him at WrestleMania but picking up the victory in their rematch at Hell in a Cell. He is looking for a proper feud since then and we might just see him go after Nakamura's title.
#2 Cesaro could look to win the Intercontinental Championship for the first time
As mentioned previously, Shinsuke Nakamura might defend his title against Apollo Crews at SummerSlam in a rematch. An interesting idea would be to have Nakamura win, following which Cesaro could come out to celebrate with him.
The Swiss Superman could then ask his former tag team partner for a title shot. He has won the United States Championship once and has held the tag team titles on several occasions. However, he is yet to win the Intercontinental title, something he could look to add to his resume by defeating Shinsuke Nakamura.
#1 Adam Cole moves up to the main roster and challenges Shinsuke Nakamura for his Intercontinental Championship
Adam Cole's WWE contract status has been a massive topic of discussion over the last few weeks. His contract is reportedly up after SummerSlam and heavy negotiations are going on between him and WWE for a new contract. Reports suggest that Cole's meeting with Vince McMahon went well and the WWE Chairman wants the former NXT Champion on the main roster.
If all goes well and Adam Cole signs a new contract with WWE, he might move to SmackDown after SummerSlam. What better first feud for him on the Blue brand than against the new Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura?
You can check out this week's edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's Smack Talk in the video embedded above.
