5 Superstars who could defeat Shinsuke Nakamura for the Intercontinental Championship

This past week, Shinsuke Nakamura surpassed 100 days as the Intercontinental Champion. It has not been the best reign, but there have been a few solid matches. Nakamura has also gained a manager, in the form of Sami Zayn. There is still a lot of potential in this heel act, especially since the Intercontinental Champion is the top full-time male champion on Friday Night SmackDown.

The former 2-time NXT Champion has fended off the likes of Ali and The Miz since he defeated Finn Balor to win the title on the Extreme Rules kickoff show. But with the volume of talent currently sitting in the mid-card on FOX, WWE should begin to put more focus on the IC Title division. The past year has not been kind for the storied belt, but it could be revived in a matter of weeks with a number of compelling programs involving Nakamura and various babyfaces.

And once the King of Strong Style drops the title to a babyface, WWE could re-establish the Intercontinental title as the workhorse belt again. This would surely only make SmackDown a better show. There are several candidates who would do well as the anchorman of the Blue brand's upper mid-card. Here are five of them, who could defeat Shinsuke Nakamura and become the next Intercontinental Champion.

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#5 Sami Zayn

First and foremost, Shinsuke Nakamura's current manager should be considered as a potential challenger for the gold himself. In case anyone has forgotten, Sami Zayn is a spectacular pro wrestler. He is possibly one of the best in-ring workers in the world, but recent years have not been kind to him at all.

Zayn's heel run has focused way less on his matches and more on his annoying promo style. While he does make for a brilliant obnoxious heel, the former NXT Champion's chief strength lies in his undeniable storytelling ability as a babyface.

He is very easy to get behind, similar to Daniel Bryan and can wrestle for days. Sami Zayn turning on Nakamura and finding himself as a face again would make for an emotionally gripping story.

A potential IC Title match between them would rule the world if it comes even a little close to their classic at NXT Takeover: Dallas. Unfortunately, WWE does not see much value in Zayn as a babyface, even though he possesses a lot of the abilities that would make one a great champion in the WWE. As long as Zayn is by Nakamura's side, the hope will always be there. But it does not look likely.

#4 The Miz

The Miz did lose to Shinsuke Nakamura at Clash Of Champions but now that he's a permanent part of SmackDown, he could have a better swing at the Intercontinental Championship. After eight reigns with the belt, The Miz is certainly in the conversation of the greatest IC Champs of all time.

Ever since 2016, he has made the title feel as relevant as it has been for decades through his passionate promos and solid matches. He made the title matter. It has been almost two years since the A-Lister last held IC gold, so why not put it back on him?

The Miz is currently languishing as a babyface, doing nothing more than being a pandering talk show host almost every single week. Hopefully, he can regain some fire and challenge for the belt that made him great (and vice-versa).

However, this time, The Miz could turn the tables on Sami Zayn at ringside and enlist some back-up of his own, in the form of John Morrison. It would certainly lead to another boom for the Intercontinental Championship if nothing else. An IC Title victory for The Miz would tie him for the most reigns with the title, at nine, putting him alongside some elite company.

#3 Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns and Shinsuke Nakamura have been at odds in the past couple of weeks, with a Twitter spat leading to an Intercontinental Championship match on last week's SmackDown. Of course, the ensuing match was interrupted by King Corbin, but WWE could very easily re-visit the Reigns and Nakamura story.

The two had a great match before it's abrupt ending and they could definitely do it again. Also, the Big Dog would make for an excellent IC Champion. In terms of importance and spotlight, putting the belt on him is a great idea. The last time Roman Reigns held the Intercontinental title saw him take on all comers at a time when Universal Champion, Brock Lesnar, was not around very often.

As we head into the winter months, he may pick up the role of a top full-time male champion again. With the strength of SmackDown's mid-card, a few months of weekly Roman Reigns IC Title open challenges would do wonders for the FOX show. He has certainly gained a lot of popularity in the past year or so, making this the perfect spot for him.

It makes the Intercontinental Championship feel special again and the man who would eventually defeat the Big Dog for the strap is instantly made into a huge star. While he should win the WWE Championship as well in the near future, utilizing a star of Reigns' stature in this manner is certainly better than putting him against Lesnar once again.

#2 Big E

With Xavier Woods' nasty Achilles injury keeping him out for possibly a year, it may be time for the New Day to take a break from their partnership. Kofi Kingston was the WWE Champion until a few weeks ago and has shown very subtle signs of frustration since then. This could lead to him going on a solo quest to re-capture the WWE Title, which leaves Big E free to make the upper mid-card of SmackDown his own.

He has developed into a fantastic big man performer over the years, both inside and outside the ring. The former Intercontinental Champion is ready to be pushed as a singles star again.

Big E is incredibly charismatic and is at least ten times more over right now than when he initially held the title, back when he was still Big E Langston. The powerhouse of the New Day is also a great in-ring worker, making him a solid candidate to provide some excellent title matches.

It would certainly go down as a popular decision if WWE decided to push Big E as the Intercontinental Champion. His muscle alone would be able to counter Sami Zayn's pesky antics at ringside, similar to his impressive burst of fire against Daniel Bryan at the end of a triple threat tag title match at Extreme Rules this year.

#1 Daniel Bryan

On this week's episode of SmackDown, Sami Zayn and Shinsuke Nakamura presented Daniel Bryan with an opportunity to join their tandem. This offer was not accepted by Bryan, nor was it definitively refused, as he just walked away from the pair.

There is a lot of intrigue in this potential storyline, especially since the former WWE Champion is somewhat middling between babyface and heel right now. The likely follow-up to this would be Bryan beginning a feud with Nakamura. It also makes sense, as he pinned the Intercontinental Champion in a tag team match last week.

This could be all the set up we need for this feud, which could be the best thing in the entire company. Daniel Bryan and Shinsuke Nakamura are yet to face each other in one-on-one action, making it even more exciting. If this rivalry does begin, the matches that follow will be some of the best in the entire year.

Sami Zayn said it best, all three of them are artists. And whether or not he partakes in the grappling festivities, Bryan and Nakamura will certainly give the WWE Universe a lot to cheer about. The former leader of the "YES" movement would also make for a stellar Intercontinental Champion.

Like Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan possesses the star power that would elevate both, the IC Title as well as every wrestler who challenges for it.

And let's not forget that Bryan is the most selfless man in wrestling, so it is almost a guarantee that a prospective title reign for him would make SmackDown a much better place. It would also be redemption from 2015 when he was forced to vacate the IC Title due to injury. Daniel Bryan holding it again will really reinstate the glory days of the workhorse belt.

Edited by Zaid Khan