WWE SmackDown 5 Takeaways: AJ Styles Is Moving On

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4. What’s Next For Shinsuke Nakamura?

The King of Strong Style Shinsuke Nakamura has taken SmackDown by storm since debuting on the main roster in April.  He has captivated the WWE universe from day one and seemed destined for big things rather quickly on the blue brand.

But in his last two chances to dethrone Jinder Mahal as WWE Champion, Nakamura came up empty both times and was arguably booked weakly in the process.  Mahal’s WWE Championship reign has been so-so at best and fans were hoping Nakamura would get a chance to shine as WWE Champion, but to no avail.

While he will probably win the WWE Championship eventually, Nakamura has lost two straight pay-per-views to Mahal and is seemingly out of the WWE Championship picture for the time being.  So, where does that leave Nakamura’s future plans?

On last night’s SmackDown, he teamed up with Randy Orton and defeated the team of Rusev and Aiden English.  The WWE could do something with Nakamura and any of the other three individuals in that match, but it just wouldn’t feel very significant compared to challenging for the WWE Championship.  And that’s not to say he will for sure square off with Orton, Rusev, or English.

One of the WWE’s most captivating superstars is on standby at the moment, and the company must be careful to not lose the momentum Nakamura had built up over the past few months.