Stone Cold Steve Austin Was A Fan Of Shinsuke Nakamura’s Low Blow
Many fans expected Shinsuke Nakamura to defeat AJ Styles for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 34. Instead, what they witnessed was ball shot heard ’round the world, and it sounds like Stone Cold Steve Austin was a fan of the moment.
Although Shinsuke Nakamura’s 2018 Royal Rumble victory was well-received, there were several members of the WWE Universe who had a difficult time hopping on board the bandwagon. Nakamura didn’t get many opportunities to showcase his lauded in-ring work, and although people loved his entrances and did cheer for him, it didn’t feel like his babyface work was “clicking” the way it should have.
So at WrestleMania 34 in a “dream match” against AJ Styles, the WWE turned Shinsuke Nakamura heel by having him hit Styles with a “low blow” following a disheartening loss.
Stone Cold Steve Austin weighed in on the low blow from Nakamura, and it sounds like the Texas Rattlesnake loved it. (Transcription via Fightful Wrestling’s Pat Fannin.)
"“The match was pretty good. But, the ending with AJ (Styles) retaining and Shinsuke (Nakamura) getting on his knee, handing him that belt. Dude, that ball shot at the end was phenomenal. It wasn’t the hokey one…it was straight up ‘f you.”"
You can listen to the comments and the full Steve Austin Show here.
Nakamura’s heel turn has injected new life into his character, and it also fits his “Strong Style” gimmick much better. On the first episode of SmackDown Live after WrestleMania, Nakamura attacked Styles in the main event of the show to interrupt another dream match between Daniel Bryan and Styles, hitting The Phenomenal One with multiple low blows.
As a Grade-A jerk, Nakamura is an early home run. He gave a disingenuous apology to Renee Young this week, and he poked fun at the fact that some fans criticize his English, using this to avoid answering Renee’s follow-up question.
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Hopefully Nakamura and Styles will start a lengthy battle over the WWE Championship that adds layers to the story they told in NJPW. That would be the best strategy for the WWE, and it would have the added benefit of presenting Nakamura to the WWE Universe as more than just a guy who is good at wrestling.