Welcome to a fresh installment of eWrestlingNews Question of the Day!
At the WWE Survivor Series: WarGames this past Saturday, Shinsuke Nakamura obtained a surprising victory over LA Knight. Coming from a long absence of 7 months and a hasty feud with Knight, I had not foreseen a title turnover. History dictates that Nakamura’s stints with midcard titles typically result in the WWE overlooking him for extended periods. Also, WrestleMania season is swiftly approaching.
To say that I’m mystified about WWE’s plans for this championship in the near future would be a substantial understatement. I have nothing against Nakamura having a run, but it’s not something I anticipated, and I’m finding it difficult to envisage where this situation is headed.
My question for you today is “Who, according to you, should defeat Shinsuke Nakamura for the United States championship, and when? Should he retain it until WrestleMania 41 or even longer? When, exactly, should he relinquish the title and to whom?”
Feel free to respond in the comments below.
As for my view…
Reflecting on the current SmackDown roster, it’s clear there are no obvious choices. Let’s dive deeper into this.
Assuming Nakamura remains a heel, it’s improbable for an adequately noteworthy heel to turn babyface, feud and then defeat him for the title. Nonetheless, I’ve contemplated both the heels and the babyfaces.
AJ Styles is out due to an injury with no definitive timeline for his return. Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin are the tag team champions. Teams like Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa’s #DIY, as well as The Street Profits, are still intact. Things get interesting with certain members teasing a heel turn.
Andrade or Carmelo Hayes as the next champion? I have my doubts. Austin Theory and Grayson Waller, as well as Giovanni Vinci, are heeled. Legado del Fantasma is a heel group. Pretty Deadly is another team we can rule out.
Apollo Crews, I believe, is unlikely. As for Logan Paul, his return is uncertain. Would anyone from Solo Sikoa’s Bloodline defeat Nakamura for the title instead of LA Knight? That’s a puzzling route.
Neglecting Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, and Randy Orton for their high profiles and ruling out Kevin Owens for similar reasons, we’re left with Jimmy Uso.
In essence, the potential rivals narrow down to Johnny Gargano, Jimmy Uso, LA Knight (if he wins it back), or a player from Raw or NXT. The last option is unlikely and even if it occurs, I don’t see a preferred choice.
Regarding Jimmy Uso, feuding with Nakamura amid the Bloodline Civil War storyline seems odd. LA Knight winning back the title also seems uninspiring. Thus, I’m rooting for Gargano – which means breaking up from Ciampa.
Here’s how I envisage the sequence of events. The reminder of December sees Ciampa splitting from the team stating he’s done with tagging. Nakamura defeats Knight in a rematch. A battle royal is organized in January for Nakamura’s next challenger, culminating in a match between Gargano, Ciampa, and Carmelo Hayes. Gargano secures a title shot causing resentment in Ciampa.
Further events will be guided by WWE’s plans for WrestleMania. A multi-man match may have Gargano losing due to Ciampa’s interference whereas in a singles event, Gargano might beat Nakamura setting up a Gargano versus Ciampa faceoff at Mania. In a six-man competition, the title might switch hands.
If Nakamura defends his title at WrestleMania 41, I’m unable to visualize his likely opponent. Over the coming months, I doubt if WWE will succeed in hyping up a match like Nakamura versus Andrade.
What’s your take? Share your opinion in the comments below!