What’s the story?
SmackDown Live’s latest acquisition Shinsuke Nakamura is one of the brightest talents in the WWE at present. He is sure to become one of the stars of WWE, so it's no surprise that the WWE will be planning some great matchups and rivalries for the ‘King of Strong Style’. The big question is, who would be a great rival for him? Nakamura seems to have the answer and it is AJ Styles.
In case you didn’t know...
Both Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles have shared the ring before. Back in their NJPW days, Nakamura and Styles had some great fights. Styles was the leader of the popular stable the ‘Bullet Club’, and Nakamura was the IWGP Intercontinental champion. The ‘King of Strong Style’ successfully defended his title against the ‘Phenomenal One’.
The heart of the matter
Let’s be honest, Nakamura’s rivalry with Dolph Ziggler is a feud many fans are hoping will end soon. Ziggler may be the perfect opponent for Nakamura to start his main roster career against, but recent episodes of SmackDown have shown that ‘The Showoff’ has no intentions of facing Nakamura in the ring. In fact, it's clearly visible, that all Ziggler plans on doing is cutting in on Nakamura’s promos and attacking him, only to get a beating from him.
So, if fans get what they want, then the Ziggler-Nakamura rivalry will end by ‘Backlash’ and hopefully, it will open up opportunities for him to start a rivalry with even bigger superstars, maybe even for a title shot. Many fans have already started speculating on who could be a great rival for the ‘King of Strong Style’.
However, Nakamura seems to have already identified his next rival, and what a ‘phenomenal’ rival he could be. If Nakamura’s Instagram posts are anything to go by, then he will be starting a feud with the ‘Phenomenal’ AJ Styles.
What’s next?
If the WWE can make this rivalry happen, then fans are in for something special. Styles is the perfect counterpart for Nakamura and this wouldn’t be the first time they have met. Styles has the charisma and the skill to bring out the best in Nakamura and this rivalry could even propel SmackDown Live’s ratings through the roof.
Highlights from a Nakamura vs. Styles matchup on NJPW
Author’s Take
It’s pretty obvious that Nakamura is going to get a big push from the promotion in the near future and it’s also obvious that his current rivalry with Dolph Ziggler isn’t going anywhere. So the prospect of a feud with AJ Styles is a huge opportunity for him and, the WWE Universe should try and savour every moment of this potential rivalry.
