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What’s the story?
WWE United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated and ‘The King of Strong Style’ discusses his goal for the US title, and the WWE title being on his list of goals in the future, amongst other things.
In case you didn't know…
After failing to capture the WWE championship during his feud with then champion AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura rebounded quickly by defeating Jeff Hardy in a short match at Extreme Rules the following month.
Nakamura made his anticipated debut back in April 2017 on Smackdown Live and defeated Dolph Ziggler in his first match on the main roster.
It was later revealed that Nakamura at one point was going to make his main roster debut at WrestleMania, challenging and winning the Intercontinental championship from The Miz; however, Kevin Dunn nixed that idea for the mixed tag team match involving Maryse, Nikki Bella, and John Cena.
Nakamura spent most of his freshman year on the blue brand on the upper mid-card. He defeated the likes of John Cena and Randy Orton to gain opportunities at the WWE championship; however, ‘The King of Strong Style’ failed to capture the gold from then WWE champion Jinder Mahal at Summerslam and Hell In A Cell.
The only other title reign that Nakamura has under his belt in the WWE is the NXT championship. He’s held the developmental title twice.
The heart of the matter
The current United States champion spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated and revealed his goal for the US title:
"My purpose is to make the United States title like I did the Intercontinental Championship in New Japan. I want to make the title different. I want to wrestle a lot of different kinds of wrestlers for the U.S. title."
Of course, Nakamura still has aspirations on capturing the top prize on the blue brand and talks about a WWE title run still being a goal he wants to achieve:
"I love wrestling and I love telling a story to the audience. I'm always looking for something new, even small things. My wrestling style changes, but I try to control the audience. I want to give energy to the audience, and the audience gives me energy. I love that back-and-forth. I really love what I'm doing."
What’s next?
Nakamura unfortunately came up short against Seth Rollins at Survivor Series this past Sunday. The United States champion didn’t make an appearance on Smackdown Live this Tuesday, but hopefully the company has plans for the talented star in the future.
