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Shinsuke Nakamura returned to WWE in victorious fashion, defeating Madcap Moss within 90 seconds on SmackDown. After being away for five months, The King of Strong Style appeared rejuvenated and ready to return to the higher echelons of the card. In a backstage interview, Nakamura proclaimed himself ready to compete for the world championships again, leaving fans incredibly excited for his future.
The current holder of both world championships is, of course, the one and only Roman Reigns. The Tribal Chief is nearing 1000 and 400 days in possession of the Universal and WWE title, respectively, the former landmark coming up on May 27th. This, coincidentally, is the date for Night of Champions 2023, and since every championship must be defended at the event, Reigns needs a fitting challenger.
Here are three reasons why Shinsuke Nakamura is the perfect man for that role:
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#3: Facing Roman Reigns is the biggest possible re-introduction for Shinsuke Nakamura to WWE's main event scene
For years, Shinsuke Nakamura has been a fixture of the upper mid-card scene in WWE. The former IWGP champion has not been featured in the main event since unsuccessfully challenging AJ Styles for the WWE Championship in 2018. The years since have seen him reign as the United States, Intercontinental, and Tag Team Champion, but he has not competed for the world title in a minute.
Many fans have been clamoring for him to return to the main event scene, with the advent of the HHH era bringing renewed hope. After his latest hiatus (in which he defeated The Great Muta on the latter's farewell tour), there's no better time to re-launch The King of Strong Style. What bigger stage to re-affirm him as a main eventer than against The Head of The Table on a premium live event?
#2: Shinsuke Nakamura is one of the few top-level superstars Roman Reigns is yet to face as champion
John Cena. Brock Lesnar. Rey Mysterio. Seth Rollins. Cody Rhodes. Edge. Sami Zayn. Kevin Owens. Drew McIntyre. Even Logan Paul. List a main event superstar in WWE, and Roman Reigns has most likely defeated them in his nearly 1000-day run as champion.
Shinsuke Nakamura is one of the few stars capable of performing at the highest level who hasn't had a proper feud with The Tribal Chief. While the likes of AJ Styles and Randy Orton are injured, and others like Bobby Lashley are otherwise occupied, Nakamura is fresh and ready to go. He is an extremely fitting opponent for Reigns in Saudi Arabia.
#1: Shinsuke Nakamura and Roman Reigns have unfinished business
Although Shinsuke Nakamura is yet to face Roman Reigns over the latter's current run, The King Of Strong Style has a lot of history with The Bloodline. His most recent WrestleMania outing was a losing effort against The Usos in which Rick Boogs suffered a legitimate injury. With his partner out of commission, WWE teased a feud with Reigns, and the duo even had a face-to-face on SmackDown.
This angle was never furthered, leaving fans confused as to what the company intended to do with the two. With Reigns potentially needing a challenger for Night of Champions, this loose end could finally be tied up. It is time to finish the story of Reigns vs Nakamura.
