What’s the news? Based on a report from WWE.com, Shinsuke Nakamura’s injured knee was evaluated at the WWE Performance Center this week.
In case you didn’t know...The injury occurred during the NXT Championship match at NXT: Takeover San Antonio. Bobby Roode focused on Nakamura’s left knee after Shinsuke landed awkwardly on it on the floor outside the ring.
The heart of the matterThe King of Strong Style got some good news from the staff at the WWE Performance Center this week. Nakamura – who suffered the injury during his incredible NXT Championship bout against Bobby Roode at NXT Takeover: San Antonio – was told that he did not suffer a tear in his knee and that the injury would not require an operation.
The previous NXT Champion lost the title to Bobby Roode at TakeOver and has not appeared in the ring since suffering the knee injury. Shinsuke is chomping at the bit to get back into the ring and reclaim his championship, but a timetable for his return is unknown.
What’s next? Nakamura is currently taking some time off to recover from the injury. Only time will tell if he will be cleared to compete before NXT TakeOver: Orlando on WrestleMania weekend.
Sportskeeda’s TakeThis is likely a storyline injury, to be honest. If one of the top stars in NXT – who is likely getting prepared for a call-up after WrestleMania 33 – had legitimately injured his knee, he would have likely made a trip to see Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Alabama shortly after NXT TakeOver: San Antonio, much the same way that Seth Rollins visited Dr. Andrews after injuring his knee on Raw last week.
We already know that Nakamura did not appear during the last set of tapings for NXT from Full Sail University in Florida. He is likely being kept off of NXT television until the special taping at the campus of the University of Central Florida at the end of February.
Only time will tell if Nakamura will get his rematch at the TakeOver event before WrestleMania or not, or even if it will be a one-on-one match, as many believe that the main event for that TakeOver will feature Kassius Ohno in some fashion.
Stay tuned for the absolute latest on this situation.
