What's the story?
A source has revealed that the WWE's SmackDown Live writers are keen to pair up Shinsuke Nakamura and Sami Zayn once again. The pair produced a match of the year candidate at NXT Takeover: Dallas last year and the writers are keen to repeat history for a bigger audience.
This story was broken on the “Dirty Sheets’ Podcast, via our “DS Breaking News” show. You can listen to the Podcast, below (length 4 minutes and 32 seconds).
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In case you didn't know...
Zayn and Nakamura both moved to SD Live during the recent "Superstar Shake Up." Zayn from Raw and Nakamura from NXT, respectively. Their last encounter was at NXT Takeover: Dallas, which was Nakamura's NXT debut match and Zayn's final NXT match. Nakamura won with a Kinshasa.
The heart of the matter
While the SmackDown team have big plans for Nakamura, the same can't be said for Sami Zayn, who will ultimately lose again. We were told that "there is absolutely no heat on Zayn, he's just one of these guys like Ziggler, who looks really good losing."
The program will be a short babyface vs. babyface program, with neither man set to turn. However, McMahon has told the SmackDown writers that he would like there to be a clear heel vs. babyface dynamic for an AJ Styles vs. Nakamura program, which the WWE currently have pencilled in for WrestleMania 34.
What's next?
Nakamura has yet to make his televised SmackDown debut. It's possible that his match at Backlash with Dolph Ziggler may be his SmackDown debut both on television and PPV. Zayn seems to be in a spot similar to where he was on Raw, however, he is being given more ring time to showcase his abilities.
Author's take
Fans of Sami Zayn should note that Daniel Bryan didn't always win matches but still got over by having countless good matches. However, from 2011 to 2013, Daniel Bryan developed his character and notably improved his mic work.
If Zayn wants to be a star rather than a jobber to the real stars, he needs to put work into his character and develop it into a likeable and sympathetic babyface, who can cut a killer promo when needed.
Be sure to check out my Podcast, “The Dirty Sheets” for the latest breaking news, along with rumours and in-depth analysis. It is available via iTunes.
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