What’s the story?
Shinsuke Nakamura will compete in his first singles match on the main roster next week against the New Face of America. The King of Strong Style will face off against the United States Champion Kevin Owens on the June 6th, 2017 edition of SmackDown Live.
In case you didn’t know...
Nakamura debuted on the main roster back during the Superstar Shakeup and has only competed in one singles match since coming to the Blue Brand. Nakamura defeated Dolph Ziggler at the Backlash pay-per-view and was later announced as a participant in the 2017 Men’s Money in the Bank Match.
Owens would be drafted from Raw to SmackDown during the Superstar Shakeup and would become a two-time United States Champion after defeating Chris Jericho on the May 2nd episode.
Both men spent came up through NXT and would go on to become NXT Champion. Owen’s championship victory was one of the fastest following a debut on the brand while Nakamura became the second man to hold the NXT Championship two times.
The heart of the matter
Nakamura and Owens have been competing against each other in tag team matches these past two weeks. Last week, Nakamura and AJ Styles defeated Owens and Dolph Ziggler. This week, Nakamura would tag with Sami Zayn to take on the team of Owens and Corbin.
Neither man has faced each other on the main roster in the WWE, but they have competed against each other on at a live event. The Prizefighter and The Artist faced off on July 2nd, 2016, at a Tokyo, Japan Live Event and it ended with Nakamura hitting the Kinshasa for the win.
What’s next?
This match presents an interesting booking scenario as both men need a win heading into Money in the Bank.
On one hand, Owens is the United States Champion and losing singles matches that aren’t for the title could make him look weak in the eyes of the fans. On the other hand, Nakamura has only been on the main roster for a few weeks and needs to continue building momentum; even if he doesn’t win the Money in the Bank briefcase.
Author’s take
Nakamura and Owens are both fantastic wrestlers and their match next week will more than likely be a highlight of the show.
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