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With his WWE Title rematch against A.J. Styles a couple of weeks away at WWE Backlash 2018, it makes sense for Shinsuke Nakamura to win the title there.
After their WWE Championship match at the controversial Greatest Royal Rumble event went to a double count-out (smart booking by the way), WWE scheduled another title bout between A.J. Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura at WWE Backlash 2018 on May 6.
The Nakamura/Styles feud, which started as a friendly rivalry between two babyfaces during the build to WrestleMania, has taken a personal and much more entertaining turn. Nakamura has gone from fan favorite to hated heel with one swift shot to the crotch and has spent the last several weeks trolling the champion.
I have no doubt that these two men will deliver an incredible story in the ring. But while I wouldn’t mind Styles retaining his title (which I think he will), I also think there is a strong case for a title change. I think Nakamura would make a great heel WWE Champion. It would cement his status as the top rulebreaker on SmackDown. Plus, it would create some interesting matchups for the bulk of the year. Specifically, I have three good reasons why Nakamura could win, but why he should.
3. He’s been so great as a heel
The very second that Nakamura’s interview segment with Renee Young ended, I knew that I was going to enjoy this heel run. Since his shocking heel turn at WrestleMania, “The King of Strong Style” has morphed into something of an agitator. He responds to Young’s reasonable questions with either derision or my favorite “No Speak English”. He interferes in other dream matches for the express purpose of hitting Styles low, which always brings a sadistic smile to his face. Nakamura still hasn’t explained why he attacked Styles to begin with, either (unless you take his post-Mania answer at face value).
WWE and Nakamura have hit all the right notes for this villainous character. He has tweaked his act to amplify the more grating aspects of his gimmick (sarcasm, goofy facial expressions) and has become a wrestler that is easy to dislike. The company also remixed his song to keep that fans from crooning along with the instrumental. Both parties have done everything right so far.
I have a feeling that Nakamura is only beginning to scratch the surface of this antagonistic persona. Nakamura has picked up momentum every week since WrestleMania, so it makes sense to cash in on that with a victory over Styles.
2. SmackDown has plenty of top babyfaces
Much like RAW, the Tuesday night brand is loaded with top protagonists. Outside of Styles, SmackDown houses Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy. If WWE gave Nakamura the WWE title, they could mine months worth of feuds out of those three big names.
While there are plenty of heels on the blue brand as well, those characters aren’t as main event ready. Big Cass is still a project of sorts (that, of course, won’t stop WWE from pushing him too fast). Miz is clearly defined as a chicken heel with little in-ring credibility. Samoa Joe might end up being Shane McMahon’s next big feud (I hope not). The company clearly doesn’t want to push Rusev. Andrade “Cien” Almas may start out in the midcard. I enjoy a lot of those characters, but I don’t see WWE putting any of them–except Cass–in a main event program.
I could also see WWE keeping the title on Styles and having him work with all the names I mentioned. It makes sense, as Styles is still one of the five best workers on the planet. But as great as Styles is as champion, I think Nakamura needs the title more. Not just for the fresh matches, but because…
1. Nakamura’s character needs this
When WWE called Nakamura up last year, the creative team (read: Vince McMahon) undertook some unnecessary retooling of the character. They packaged him as a two-dimensional character, labeling him an “artist” and a “rockstar” because Vince probably looked at Nakamura and typecasted him as a Michael Jackson cosplayer. It was more about mannerisms and the cool entrance than it was the workrate or the character development. It was the beginning of the end of Nakamura as a babyface.
Then, Vince and the writers decided to sacrifice Nakamura to bolster Jinder Mahal’s inexplicable main event push. Nakamura then played a largely meaningless role in the Shane McMahon/Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn saga. Basically, the company did nothing with Nakamura until the Royal Rumble. Even afterward, they struggled to heat him up for WrestleMania. The bookers can’t make the same mistakes now that he’s a heel.
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If Nakamura doesn’t win the title from Styles, he may be done as a viable character. He would fade into the 50/50, midcard treadmill, and he’s too talented for that. Styles can easily recover from a loss, but for Nakamura–a character that’s already damaged–it would eliminate any staying power he did or could have at the top of the card. He would become just another guy, which would be a waste of Nakamura. Which is why he needs to become “the guy” on SmackDown and win the company’s most prestigious championship.