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What's the story?
On tonight's monumental episode of SmackDown Live, not only did WWE officially conclude the 2019 Superstar Shake-Up, but former WWE United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura kicked-off the show in memorable fashion as he paid tribute to a notable NJPW superstar.
In case you didn't know...
Tonight's episode of SmackDown Live was certainly monumental for all the right reasons, as WWE officially concluded the 2019 Superstar Shake-Up.
With several big names in the form of Roman Reigns, Finn Balor, and Buddy Murphy officially joining the blue brand, SmackDown Live was also filled with lots of action and that including an exciting six-man tag team match between Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, and Kevin Owens against the trio of Cesaro, Rusev, and Shinsuke Nakamura.
The heart of the matter
During an emphatic six-man tag team match on SmackDown Live tonight, 'The Artist' Shinsuke Nakamura was seen replicating a move straight out of the book of NJPW star and Bullet Club member, Taiji Ishimori.
As seen midway through the match, Nakamura hit a brilliant Sliding German Suplex on New Day's Xavier Woods, a move that Ishimori is known for executing with perfection during his matches in New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Shortly afterward, the former NXT Champion took to Twitter and thanked Taiji Ishimori and gave him a shoutout for the move and in response, the former IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion also responded with a short little message for 'The King of Strong Style'.
Here is Nakamura's tweet:
And here is Ishimori's response:
What's next?
Shinsuke Nakamura is currently competing on the blue brand of SmackDown Live where he is in a tag team alongside Rusev. The duo has been teaming up with each other for the past several months but haven't had the chance to win the SmackDown Live Tag Team Titles yet.
Meanwhile, Taiji Ishimori is currently preparing for a singles match with Dragon Lee, as he looks forward to bringing back the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship to the Bullet Club.
