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Finn Bálor and Shinsuke Nakamura were relegated to the Kickoff show on the Extreme Rules card tonight, and shockingly Bálor lost the Intercontinental Championship to The Artist, a title that he only picked up back in April when he was able to defeat Bobby Lashley at WrestleMania.
Bálor hasn't been part of WWE TV for the past few weeks and only returned two weeks ago when he opened a feud with Nakamura backstage on SmackDown Live. The two men then collided on SmackDown Live on Tuesday where Nakamura picked up the win and set up the match between these two men tonight.
It was a shock that a match of this caliber was on the kickoff show alongside the usual Cruiserweight Championship match, but Nakamura was able to take advantage. But, why was The Artist able to become Champion following his doomed reign with the United States Championship a few months ago.
Let's take a closer look.
#5. WWE owes Shinsuke Nakamura
Shinsuke Nakamura hasn't been used much on WWE TV over the past few months, and at one point there were rumors that he was looking to leave the company. This speculation seems to have died down recently, however.
Nakamura had a terrible reign as United States Champion and was never able to defend it on pay-per-view, before he lost the title in a match against R-Truth that many believed had a botched finish.
At this point, many fans believed that Nakamura was one of the most underutilized talents in the company. Given the fact that The Artist has a number of options when it comes to wrestling outside of WWE, it's likely that company wanted to ensure that he didn't leave WWE in the near future. A title run heading into The Biggest Party of the Summer could have been their best option.
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#4. Finn Bálor vs Shinsuke Nakamura at SummerSlam
SummerSlam is right around the corner, and it's a shock that WWE has added this match to the card at Extreme Rules. It could have easily been extended over the next few weeks so that they could have the match they deserve at SummerSlam.
The only real story WWE knows how to tell is when a Champion loses their title, so now Bálor can get his re-match and face Nakamura at SummerSlam as well. AJ Styles and Nakamura had a feud a few years back that many expected to set the world alight, but it was too much and ruined Nakamura's move to the main roster. WWE could be hoping his feud with Bálor will make amends for this and the two men could be given a much better position on the card in August.
#3. The return of The Demon
Finn Bálor is the face in this rivalry, but given the fact that he has been hardly used on TV or given much of anything to do since his move over to SmackDown Live, the return of The Demon could be needed.
Nakamura has defeated Bálor twice now and has made it look easy both times. Bálor was able to successfully defend the title in Saudi Arabia when he took The Demon with him to face Andrade. This could be a hint that Balor needs his alter-ego at SummerSlam if he's granted a rematch.
It's also worth nothing that Bálor has brought the Demon with him at every SummerSlam he's performed on.
Bálor wasn't impressed with the loss and will definitely be looking to avenge it. Don't be surprised if the face paint is back out next month and Balor is looking to reclaim his Championship.
#2. Is Finn Bálor being punished?
As mentioned earlier, Finn Bálor hadn't been on WWE TV for weeks after Super ShowDown and his feud with Andrade, as WWE gave him some personal time following that show. He then returned to a feud with Nakamura and has lost back-to-back matches.
This match was also relegated to the Extreme Rules kickoff show, it was a short match and it was a clean loss, which means that Bálor doesn't really have that much of a claim when it comes to a rematch. He's one of the company's biggest merchandise sellers, so many believed that he would have been pushed significantly after this fact surfaced. Given the events of the past few weeks, however, it's hard not to speculate that Bálor is being punished for some undisclosed reason, no matter how far fetched that might seem.
#1. WWE doesn't care about the mid-card
WWE has been busy pushing Shane McMahon over the past few months so that he can have a feud with Roman Reigns. Meanwhile, over on Raw, the focus has been on Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch, which could be why the mid-card is mostly overlooked.
This match wasn't even added to Extreme Rules until a few hours before the show went live. The fact that it's two stars like Bálor and Nakamura fighting over the Intercontinental Championship should have been enough for the two men to be part of the main card.
When Nakamura was United States Champion, WWE overlooked him much of the time and Bálor's reign as Intercontinental Champion has been similar. So it could just be that Vince McMahon flipped a coin backstage and decided that Nakamura should take it.
What do you think? Why do you think WWE put the IC title on Nakamura tonight? Tell us in the comments section below.
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