5 WWE Superstars who have risen since SummerSlam and 5 who have fallen

#2 Shinsuke Nakamura - Risen

With some gold and a new attitude, the King of Strong Style has made his mark on Smackdown Live

Last year, Shinsuke Nakamura lost to Jinder Mahal at Summerslam, failing to capture the WWE Championship. The former NXT Champion had quite a tough 2017 on the main roster, failing to win any gold or any worthwhile feuds. His 2018 started out well, though, winning the Royal Rumble Match and clinching a title opportunity at WrestleMania 34.

Shinsuke called his shot the night he won the Rumble, saying that he wanted to face AJ Styles at WrestleMania. Nakamura - Styles was a match that fans never thought they'd see in the WWE, let alone for the WWE Championship on the Grandest Stage of Them All. While some fans didn't quite enjoy their match, Nakamura shocked the WWE Universe with a heel turn, capturing their attention yet again. Since then, he's spent a majority of his time striking his opponents in the groin.

Nakamura never won the WWE Championship, losing every title match to AJ Styles. However, he did win the United States Championship from Jeff Hardy at Extreme Rules after a low blow and a Kinshasa took out the Charismatic Enigma.

While he didn't win the WWE title in 2018, a heel turn refreshed Nakamura's character, and with a title finally around his waist, the Cheapshot Artist has finally found his place on Tuesday nights.

About the author

Greg is a pro wrestling writer at Sportskeeda. He has been an avid wrestling fan since he was able to do elbow drops off bunkbeds at the age of three. He's gone through the highs and lows of the Attitude Era, Ruthless Aggression, and PG eras and lived to tell the tale, with his favorite wrestler of all time being Diamond Dallas Page. His other favorite star is the late great Bray Wyatt.

Greg has contributed to sites like Bleacher Report before joining Sportskeeda in 2017 as a content writer and editor. If you've ever checked out the various wrestling shows through our live coverage, chances are you've read Greg's work. Apart from the world within the squared circle, he also keeps track of other sports such as American football, baseball, golf, boxing, and MMA.

His goal with his writing is to be able to mentally take readers right into the action through his words. Greg strives to ensure his readers get nothing but the best and most accurate information by always checking and using only the best and most reliable sources.

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Edited by Shruti Sadbhav