WWE Backlash will give us our first look at Shinsuke Nakamura’s wrestling talents since coming to the main roster. This is obviously a highly anticipated event as Nakamura has been lauded as one of the best wrestlers in the company, and this will be his first televised match since being called up from NXT.
Nakamura put together quite the resume for himself as he led the Yellow brand, following Finn Balor’s departure. His saga with Samoa Joe anchored NXT for months, and just as Joe moved on to Raw shortly before WrestleMania, Nakamura has graduated from developmental as well.
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And with this move up to the main roster, WWE has the responsibility to make Nakamura feel like the megastar he was in NXT as well as in Japan. They’ve done a great job so far, having him look strong in promos and making his debut feel like a big deal. But they aren’t done yet. It is vital that Nakamura beats Dolph Ziggler at Backlash, and here are five reasons why.
#5 Credibility
The most important thing when building a new star is making sure they’re credible. They have to give off an aura that says their opponents have to take them seriously. This is something Nakamura had in spades while in NXT as every match he had felt like a PPV-worthy bout.
Losing in a debut match after all this hype is simply not an option. Again, Nakamura has yet to have a match on the main roster. If he comes out as a loser in his first outing in the big leagues, his character will take a hit that it might not recover from. Every new Superstar needs to start out with some momentum.
He would look like a stooge if all of Ziggler’s trash talk actually turns out to be warranted. Nakamura is one of the biggest stars in the wrestling industry. He can’t be made a fool of in his WWE PPV debut, especially considering he’s the person WWE is marketing this PPV around. Just look at the posters and graphics for the event; it’s Nakamura, front and centre.
If Nakamura is going to be taken as seriously on the main roster as he was in NXT, a win next Sunday is essential.
#4 An inconclusive finish helps no one
The point of this match should be to make Nakamura look strong while putting him over. He is, after all, the King of Strong Style. With that said, the WWE are big fans of dirty or inconclusive finishes, whether they be disqualifications, count outs, no contests, etc.
For Nakamura, he needs to win next Sunday, and there needs to be no uncertainty surrounding it. In NXT, Nakamura rarely won or lost due to shenanigans, and he certainly shouldn’t start now. Any finish to the match aside from a pinfall or a submission would be a travesty and would help absolutely no one.
Let’s run through the possibilities. If Nakamura wins by disqualification, he misses out on all the momentum he would gain by winning his debut match on a big stage. Sure, you could say “But Ziggler used a weapon! It’s not Nakamura’s fault!” True, but it’s not the best way to go about things. He should have a decisive victory.
If he wins by count out, the match will lose any semblance of steam it may have otherwise had. Imagine Nakamura lazily rolling into the ring to beat the 10-count while Ziggler lays on the outside. No thanks.
This match should end with a thunderous Kinshasa and nothing else. Give Nakamura a decisive win to kick off his career on the main roster.
#3 Ziggler doesn’t need the win
Let’s face it, Ziggler is an afterthought in WWE, and he should probably stay that way. He’s had title runs, he’s had marginal success, but all in all, he feels like a veteran version of Sami Zayn. He’s someone who fans are generally behind (when he’s a babyface, of course), but WWE refuses to do much with him, outside of some select moments.
And since he is an established afterthought, that means he does not need this rogue victory over someone who could use it to much greater effect than he can. If Ziggler halts Nakamura’s momentum by beating him at Backlash, it would be a monumental mistake.
Why? Because Ziggler probably wouldn’t use the win to do much in the future. If anything, it would just lead to a rematch with Nakamura that Ziggler would ultimately lose. If beating Nakamura meant it could propel Ziggler to a level where he could challenge for a world title, then maybe. But WWE won’t do that with him. They never do.
And hypothetically, if the WWE woke up one day and decided to rebuild Ziggler, they could try. But they shouldn’t do it at the expense of Nakamura. Have him beat guys like Randy Orton and Kevin Owens, not someone who is just trying to gain his footing on the main roster.
Ziggler simply doesn’t need this win right now. Maybe before he retires, he can be credible again, but right now, he should stick to his mid-card role. And losing next Sunday would ensure that that happens.
Also read: 5 potential matches for Shinsuke Nakamura at Summerslam
#2 SmackDown Live needs new stars after shakeup
In the words of the Phenomenal AJ Styles, “SmackDown makes ‘em, Raw takes ‘em.” This was Styles’ sentiment following the superstar shakeup that saw the likes of Dean Ambrose, The Miz, Bray Wyatt and others jump ship to the "flagship show".
Sure, SmackDown didn’t come away empty-handed and most notably landed Charlotte and The New Day. But the shakeup hit SmackDown’s men’s singles division in a big way, considering their two most significant acquisitions were a female superstar and a tag team.
This means SmackDown needs to start building up some stars again, and that starts with Shinsuke Nakamura.
Nakamura has what it takes to help lead the Blue brand in the ratings battle against Raw. Right now, SmackDown is led by Randy Orton, AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, and John Cena, whenever he decides to show up. Adding an established Nakamura to that list gives SmackDown an incredible core of superstars that could actually rival Raw.
But to set that in motion, Nakamura needs to win at Backlash. Losing to Dolph Ziggler in a debut does not scream “top star”. It screams mid-carder which, for SmackDown’s sake, should not be his fate. Nakamura has the capability to help anchor a brand, and he can begin doing that with a win next Sunday.
#1 Nakamura should be a future world title holder
Nakamura arrived in NXT with a rocket strapped to his back. His first match was a showstopper against Sami Zayn, and things only got better for him from there.
He went on to become a two-time NXT champion and, as we said before, carry the brand for several months through his feud with Samoa Joe. Combine that with his success overseas, and you have what looks to be an inevitable future world champion in WWE.
So how do you kick off the career of a future world champion? You promote him, make him feel important, and then you give him a signature victory to prove that he’s legitimate. That last part is unfortunately not in the cards right now.
A win over Ziggler is not a signature victory. But that means beating him in decisive fashion is that much more important. If part of establishing a superstar is defeating a brand’s top stars, then that guy certainly better beat the people who are lower on the totem pole.
Nakamura is destined to face off with the likes of AJ Styles and John Cena on some of WWE’s biggest stages. With a future like that, Nakamura needs to get started the right way; by winning a match against someone who may be out of the company in the not too distant future.
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