What's the story?
The official WWE NXT Twitter feed has posted a picture of former NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura back in action at the Performance Center, ahead of a return to action in the near future.
In case you didn’t know...
Shinsuke Nakamura defended his NXT Championship against Bobby Roode at NXT TakeOver: San Antonio. During the match, Roode attacked Nakamura’s knee, something which contributed to Nakamura losing the match and his title in the process.
Since that match in late January, Nakamura has been absent from NXT. He has been selling the effects of that knee injury, but at the same time has been wrestling on NXT Live Events.
The heart of the matter
NXT treats kayfabe in-ring injuries very differently to how the main roster does. Nakamura has been away from actual in-ring action on TV since that match at TakeOver, making the injury seem more legitimate.
As the heel champion, Bobby Roode looks even stronger for the fact that Nakamura hasn’t been around to gain any revenge for that title loss, but it also builds up any potential re-match that takes place down the line.
What’s next?
If Nakamura is ready to return to action, in the storyline, then you can bet he will have a match or two at the NXT TV tapings that take place later this week. Nakamura needs to be allowed to be built up to look strong again before going after Roode and the Championship he so cruelly lost.
Sportskeeda’s take
The way that NXT handles these kinds of issues is a breath of fresh air.
If this kind of thing had happened to someone on a Raw pay-per-view then they would probably have been on tv the following night and it would all have been forgotten instantly. With NXT posting pictures of Nakamura back in training, it makes him look more like a legitimate athlete and builds him up for a massive response when he makes his return.
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