5 reasons why Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Rusev for the United States champion

Shinsuke Nakamura is United States champion once again.

While that is probably good news for Nakamura, who has been floundering as mid-card villain lately, it is absolutely terrible for his rival Rusev. In fact, between the sparse time Rusev was given as United States champion, the lacklustre booking around the title and the limited amount of television time the title was given, one has to wonder what the problem was.

Then again, what if there is no problem? What if this is all just apart of WWE's plan and it will actually make Rusev look great in the end. Either way, Nakamura's win during the pre-show sent shockwaves through the WWE Universe and has to have everyone wondering what will happen next?

With that being said and Nakamura winning back the United States title during the Royal Rumble pre-show, here are five reasons WWE might have made the move. As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below and be sure to tell us whether you think WWE made the right choice or not.

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#5 Shock factor

Maybe WWE just needed a shock factor during the preshow?

Although some of what happened probably came down to problems with Rusev and his inability to carry the United States title division, it probably also had to do with the fact that WWE needed something big to happen on the pre-show. Unfortunately for The Bulgarian Brute, that big moment was him losing his United States championship to Nakamura

Of course, the move was a little surprising to see, especially after how over Rusev was with the crowd when first winning The United States title, but it still seems to all come down to the shock factor of it all. Either that, or WWE is really that uninterested in Rusev as champion, which could be bad news for the Bulgarian.

#4 Lack of faith in Rusev as champion

Is WWE giving up on Rusev day?

Let's be honest here, as much as the WWE Universe continues to be behind Rusev and his Rusev Day gimmick, WWE just doesn't share that belief. Not only is that extremely evident by how little the United States title has been featured since Rusev won the belt, but also by how uninteresting the storyline between Rusev and Nakamura was.

If nothing else, taking the title off of Rusev was a mercy kill of sorts for the misguided title run and gives the company a chance to script something better in the future. Of course, those plans might not involve Rusev after what happened at the Royal Rumble, but whatever the company ends up doing, it needs to be better than this.

In the end, Rusev as champion wasn't working. His promos weren't interesting, he didn't have the needed charisma and the storyline build around him wasn't doing him any favors either. Again, it's a mercy kill and it's hopefully a promise of better things.

#3 50-50 booking

Something tells me we're going to see Rusev versus Shinsuke Nakamura quite a few more times.

Another thing the WWE Universe needs to be honest about is the fact that the storyline was most likely heading in this direction anyway. Think about it! Did anyone really believe that Rusev was going to overcome the cunning and diabolical Shinsuke Nakamura a second time? Wouldn't that just destroy what little momentum or relevance Nakamura had left?

In all honesty, Rusev coming up short after being distracted by his wife's injury is a good way to protect him and make Nakamura look great in the process. Its also a great way to prolong the feud between the two, which ultimately could give Rusev a chance to recapture the title after playing the underdog for a while.

With that being said, it's not the end of the world that Rusev lost his title so early and it might even lead to better things in the future. Beyond all that, it's also something that keeps the storyline interesting and again could work to Rusev's advantage if WWE scripts things correctly from here.

#2 Gets fans behind Rusev

Will Rusev's loss result in the WWE Universe getting behind him more?

Sympathy - that's a key way to get fans behind a particular superstar and it seems like that is exactly what WWE's intention was with Rusev losing the United States title to Shinsuke Nakamura. Of course, maybe that's not the result the WWE Universe wanted, but this could just be a means to an end, which would make it all worth it

For example, Rusev looked very sympathetic in defeat and it's only going to make fans feel like he was robbed during the match. If nothing else, it's going to create a very powerful wave of support for Rusev, make Nakamura look like an absolute villain, and maybe even breath some life into this feud

All in all, the way the feud between Rusev and Nakamura was before wasn't working at all. It had nothing going for it and was based on some very lackluster booking. At least now, WWE seems to have injected some emotion into the mix, which will hopefully prove to pay dividends as the weeks go on.

#1 Gets heat on Nakamura

Shinsuke Nakamura is your new United States champion!

The most important thing that Shinsuke Nakamura's victory over Rusev did was garner major heat for The King Of Strong Style. While some might not see that as a big deal, especially since Nakamura has done this kind of thing before, it is a big deal when you consider who he did this to.

It's no secret that the WWE Universe is firmly behind Rusev whether the company is or not and this lost is not going to sit well with them. In fact, its going to get them more behind Rusev then ever before and make Nakamura look like the villain he was born to be in the process.

With that in mind, hopefully WWE ups the ante with this whole putting Lana in danger thing, as it really is an effective tool to keep him chasing the title for the foreseeable future. It is also a way to build more heel heat on Nakamura, which will make Rusev eventually regain the title just that much more cathartic for fans.