Could Shinsuke Nakamura's latest pursuit lead him to SmackDown? Exploring the possibility

Shinsuke Nakamura hasn’t competed on SmackDown since May 2023. The King of Strong Style’s last televised match on the blue brand took place on May 5. Nakamura went on to pick up the win against Karrion Kross in under nine minutes.

It is possible Shinsuke Nakamura’s latest pursuit could lead him to the blue brand. The former WWE Intercontinental Champion is looking for a worthy opponent in the lead-up to Survivor Series: WarGames 2023.

There are multiple fan theories as to who could Nakamura be referring to in his cryptic promos. Some believe it’s none other than CM Punk, primarily due to the premium live event taking place in his hometown of Chicago.

Then there’s this theory that Nakamura could be referring to Brock Lesnar as his next opponent. It is also possible Nakamura could be calling out AJ Styles in his promos because of their storied history in New Japan Pro Wrestling and WWE.

The Phenomenal One hasn’t appeared on SmackDown since September 22, when he was sent to the hospital by The Bloodline (Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa). Styles was supposed to tag with John Cena at Fastlane 2023, but ended up being replaced by LA Knight.

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Shinsuke Nakamura to move to SmackDown after Survivor Series: WarGames? Looking at the potential

Hypothetically speaking, if WWE books Shinsuke Nakamura versus AJ Styles, then it would be the first brand supremacy match for Survivor Series: WarGames 2023 – provided the company doesn’t announce another similar match on SmackDown this week.

The match could lead to Nakamura’s arrival on the blue brand to kick off a long-term feud with AJ Styles. WWE did book the pair into a feud in 2018, but the eventual outcome was not received well by fans, mainly due to the watered down action inside the ring.

Fans can check out the card for Survivor Series: WarGames 2023 here.