'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Shinsuke Nakamura may not have won the Gauntlet match in the WWE SmackDown main event, but he certainly was the star of the entire show.
Not only did Shinsuke Nakamura eliminate Rey Mysterio, but also King Corbin and Daniel Bryan. He even shook Daniel Bryan's hand, effectively becoming a babyface in the process.
What could have been the motivation to turn Shinsuke Nakamura babyface, especially if you consider that he has been a heel for so very long? Here are a few explanations for the same.
Feel free to weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section below.
#5 Sets up a Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roman Reigns feud on WWE SmackDown
Shinsuke Nakamura was all set to win the WWE SmackDown gauntlet match, when lo and behold, Roman Reigns and Jey Uso put a brutal beatdown on him, helping Adam Pearce win the contest. As good as a Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roman Reigns feud would have been, and make no mistake, that is coming someday soon, this is an intriguing contest. It gives Shinsuke Nakamura the time to establish himself as a possible dominant challenger for Roman Reigns.
WWE SmackDown is clearly a show that is centered around Roman Reigns, with multiple challengers stepping up to him, but him looking like an unbeatable, invincible top star. It is much in the vein of Homelander in The Boys, who is clearly the star of the show, even though he is definitely the bad guy. Shinsuke Nakamura is the underdog, but every underdog has his day, to twist and amend a popular phrase.
And even if Shinsuke Nakamura comes up short in his quest to become the WWE Universal Champion, it will still be a major step up for him, after he clashes with Roman Reigns.
#4 Is this the prelude to Shinsuke Nakamura winning the Royal Rumble match once again?
So, we have established that Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roman Reigns is going to happen at some point, now that Kevin Owens has been written off television by the company's top heel.
At this point, it doesn't seem like there's anybody in the WWE SmackDown roster that has the ability to take Roman Reigns down. A case could have been made for Goldberg, but as we saw on RAW Legends Night, Goldberg has a score to settle with Drew McIntyre at the Royal Rumble.
But if Shinsuke Nakamura wins the Royal Rumble and challenges Roman Reigns to a match, it could result in truly elevating the Japanese Superstar from the current position that he's in, and establish him as a main-event attraction. Fans really want to see Nakamura get his comeuppance against Roman Reigns, considering the terror that he has wrought all across the WWE SmackDown roster.
And let us not forget that Shinsuke Nakamura has won the men's Royal Rumble in the past.
#3 Fans miss the momentum that Shinsuke Nakamura had once upon a time
When Shinsuke Nakamura arrived in NXT, he was considered to be the biggest acquisition in the history of the company. He tore it up with Sami Zayn, and people expected big things from Shinsuke Nakamura on WWE RAW and SmackDown.
But with the passage of time, even though he won the Royal Rumble, it became abundantly clear that WWE did not see Shinsuke Nakamura in the same light that his fans do. He was always prominently featured, but somehow just kept slipping down the ranks until we saw him as a tag team competitor with Cesaro.
Fans miss the enigmatic and charismatic man who came into NXT with a lot of momentum, armed with a secret weapon known as 'Strong Style' with the most hummable and singable WWE theme song in history. The face turn could be a way for WWE to remind the world that Shinsuke Nakamura is still very much the same Superstar. An attempt at a rebirth of his classic persona.
#2 Shinsuke Nakamura doesn't need to be in a heel tag team anymore because the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions are heels
We have touched upon the fact that Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro are part of a tag team unit, which is great, but there doesn't seem to be any sense of direction for them. It remains to be seen how Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro will sort out the issue that one man is a face and the other, a heel. Will we see a match between the two men, or will Cesaro turn face as well?
Now that The Dirty Dawgs are the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions, Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura can actually afford to go their separate ways, because they will need babyface tag teams to face.
This allows Shinsuke Nakamura and potentially, Cesaro as well to step it up and mix it up in singles competition. It'll be a fresh new start for both men if such is indeed the big plan. One has to cross his/her fingers and honestly, hope for the best.
#1 Allows for the possibility of a Daniel Bryan and Shinsuke Nakamura tag team unit
Shinsuke Nakamura and Daniel Bryan have a lot of history with one another, and in case you didn't know about this, do read on.
Not only do the two men have the greatest of respect for one another, Daniel Bryan and Shinsuke Nakamura were once roommates. Here's an excerpt from an article written by SK Wrestling's Phillipa:
It is reported that when Bryan and Nakamura were training at the L.A. Dojo they were also living together in Los Angeles. Nakamura didn't speak a word of English whilst he lived with Bryan, but it seems that Bryan was able to translate and speak Japanese well enough that he and Nakamura were able to become good friends.
Now that they took the time to shake hands in the middle of the ring, there's a definite possibility that both Daniel Bryan and Shinsuke Nakamura could come together and form an explosive tag team unit.
Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode will need babyface teams to clash with.
