Yesterday, Shinsuke Nakamura turned 38, so Dolph Ziggler decided to get the Denver crowd at a WWE Live Event to sing “Happy Birthday” to Nakamura. Of course, Ziggler had other ambitions by the end of the segment.
Dolph Ziggler and Shinsuke Nakamura know each other pretty well in WWE, because Ziggler was Nakamura’s first main roster feud. Although Dolph never defeated the former NJPW star, he did come close at Backlash and on an episode of SmackDown Live. The two had several solid dark matches, but Ziggler was constantly mocking Nakamura, going as far as to insinuate that the man is some sort of Michael Jackson copy.
Last night at a WWE Live Event in Denver, Nakamura celebrated his 38th birthday, and Ziggler was there to help make sure the crowd gave him a special treat by signing “Happy Birthday” to the 2018 Royal Rumble winner.
Afterwards, Ziggler shook Nakamura’s hand, though he did offer Shinsuke a handshake before snubbing him earlier in the show. “The Show-Off” then offered Nakamura his T-Shirt as a present, and it looked like Nakamura begrudgingly accepted. But Dolph wasn’t exactly altruistic, because he tried to take advantage. Nakamura blocked Dolph’s kick to the gut, and although the video doesn’t show anything beyond that, we can only assume that Ziggler ate a Kinsasha for his troubles.
House shows are “for fun”, so I wouldn’t read anything into Ziggler acting like a heel by being cocky and then trying to get a cheap shot on Nakamura afterwards. Based on the fact that he’s faced Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens in back-to-back weeks since returning to SmackDown Live, it appears Ziggler is a babyface again. He’s also been cutting his usual “babyface” promos in backstage segments, so he was likely just having some fun with Nakamura to pop the crowd a little more.
Next: WWE Elimination Chamber 2018 Live Ratings, Analysis
It’s great to see the fans showing their appreciation for Nakamura, but it isn’t surprising at all. He’s in line for a shot at AJ Styles’s WWE Championship at WrestleMania for a reason, and the crowd has been singing for Nakamura (his theme, specifically) for quite some time.