WWE Extreme Rules 2018: 3 reasons why Shinsuke Nakamura should win

Photo: WWE.com

Shinsuke Nakamura has become one of the most entertaining acts on SmackDown. WWE should reward him with the United States Championship.

A couple of months ago, I wrote a piece outlining the reasons why Shinsuke Nakamura should’ve unseated A.J. Styles as WWE Champion. At the time, I thought Nakamura regained enough momentum following his heel turn at WrestleMania 34 and claiming the company’s most prestigious prize seemed like the best way to keep the former puroresu star to stay hot. Well, that didn’t happen.

WWE decided to keep the belt on “The Phenomenal One”, supposedly because Styles is set to grace the cover of WWE 2k19 this fall. Fortuitous marketing aside, the feud left “The King of Strong Style” looking a bit weak.

After coming up short against Styles, Nakamura has now turned his attention to Jeff Hardy and the United States Championship. There hasn’t been much interaction between these two — thanks in part to Nakamura getting bitten by a police dog — but they’ve done enough to warrant a U.S. Title match at Extreme Rules this Sunday, a match Nakamura needs to win.

The former IWGP Heavyweight Champion has been one of the most entertaining wrestlers on the WWE roster over the last several months. The company should recognize Nakamura’s efforts with a strong U.S. Title reign, and that starts with a win over Hardy this Sunday. If that doesn’t convince you, maybe these three reasons will.