5 things WWE SmackDown got right this week: Roman Reigns attacks Finn Balor; SummerSlam dream match confirmed

#3 Shinsuke Nakamura made his case for an Intercontinental Championship match on WWE SmackDown

The KING is here! 👑#SmackDown @ShinsukeN @PatMcAfeeShow @rickboogswwe pic.twitter.com/Of8wuMHBol

— WWE (@WWE) August 7, 2021

Shinsuke “King” Nakamura battled Apollo Crews with a potential shot at the Intercontinental Championship on the line on WWE SmackDown. It was one of the biggest matches scheduled for this week’s episode.

Nakamura looked good early on and took the fight to the Intercontinental Champion. He downed Crews with some good strikes and showed exactly what he is capable of.

The King of Strong Style hit a GTS followed by a big knee and went for the pin, but Commander Azeez pulled Nakamura out of the ring to save his leader. Azeez’s actions earned Nakamura a disqualification victory over the Intercontinental Champion on SmackDown.

The King survived the onslaught and sent Crews into Azeez to close the segment and celebrate. The match was nothing special, but it did give Nakamura a chance to shine after some time.

.@ShinsukeN is on a grind tonight against @WWEApollo #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/LvehbVVO1w

— WWE (@WWE) August 7, 2021

He could turn out to be the best man to dethrone Crews on SmackDown. The two will likely meet for the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam. WWE must use this opportunity to put a championship on Nakamura to keep him relevant on SmackDown.