How WWE Can Still Salvage Shinsuke Nakamura’s Character

Credit: WWE.com

Former NXT Champion and current United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura was riding high after the Royal Rumble, but now… not so much. Is there still a chance Nakamura can still thrive in WWE?

I think a lot of us can agree that we don’t necessarily have the same outlook on Shinsuke Nakamura as we did during his rockstar-like run in NXT.  Seeing Nakamura in NXT was like a treat to the fans, it didn’t happen often, but when it did, everyone stopped what they were doing and focused on him.

Needless to say, our outlook on Nakamura has changed, but why? Could it be over-exposure, the “main roster curse”, or maybe his character work? Let’s take some time and see how we can make Nakamerica great again.

One component that definitely didn’t help Shinsuke Nakamura’s transition to the main roster was that he debuted without a storyline. While Miz and Maryse were impersonating John Cena and Nikki Bella (ironic), the camera cuts to Lee England Jr with his violin and THE CROWD WENT WILD.

Then, Shinsuke made his entrance, and that was kind of it. No opponent, no promo, just an entrance and a cut to commercial. Now I’m not saying that was bad thing, but a debut with a purpose would have absolutely helped his transition.

I would say the most important reason why Nakamura has lost his luster in the eyes of the WWE Universe is because of his numerous (six) failed WWE Championship opportunities. After the 2018 Royal Rumble I think every one of us had an optimistic outlook on Shinsuke’s career.

I think we all thought that Vince was ready to put his trust in The King Of Strong Style, thinking, “HE DID IT, HE WON THE ROYAL RUMBLE”, but I don’t think any of us were ready for SIX unsuccessful championship opportunities.

So what are some ways to bring that magic back to Nakamura’s character? In my opinion, one way would be to showcase his heel-ish actions. Turning Nakamura heel at WrestleMania was different, but in a good way.

I think a lot of us were very intrigued to see how he can do as a bad guy. It was going very well, but then WWE seemed to forget about it and limited his television time to almost none. No television time means no opportunity to build and progress your character.

Next, I would try and restore credibility to the United States Championship that Nakamura is currently in possession of. It’s no secret that the US Championship may very well be the most anticlimactic championship on either brand.

This is because this title is usually relegated to the pre-shows of pay-per-views or not even on the show at all. To make a championship mean something, you have to link it to meaningful feuds or storylines; otherwise it’s just a piece of leather that nobody cares about.

Finally, I would give him more time in the ring. Obviously these performers need to work four days a week with constant travel, so we don’t expect their match quality to be at its highest all the time, but if you give Shinsuke Nakamura fifteen minutes in the ring to put on a match, he will make you a fan.

That’s what drew us to him in NXT, right? I mean at first it was just cool to see him in a WWE ring, but then the people that weren’t familiar with him previously became a fan based off what he could do between the ropes.

People like to throw around the term “buried” when describing a superstar that has either lost numerous matches in a row or have been off of television for a while for no reason. I don’t think Shinsuke has been buried at all; however, I do believe is character has taken somewhat of a hit since WrestleMania 34.

However, I think some more television time, a meaningful or emotional storyline while holding the US title, and some extra time in the ring can help restore the aura of Shinsuke Nakamura.