"Welcome back indeed" - WWE fans excited about former champion returning to action after five months

The return of former WWE Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura has caused a flurry of excitement in the wrestling world.

The King of Strong Style returned to television programming on the blue brand against apparent heel Madcap Moss tonight. His return was revealed during the post-WrestleMania 39 edition of SmackDown.

On November 11, 2022, Santos Escobar defeated Nakamura in the opening round of the SmackDown World Cup, marking the latter's last televised contest for the company.

During tonight's match, the Japanese star took out Madcap Moss with a few flurries of kicks and followed it up with a sliding German Suplex. In the closing moments, Nakamura nailed Moss with a Kinshasa and pinned him with quick work.

The WWE Universe took to Twitter to warmly welcome Shinsuke Nakamura as he returned to SmackDown after over five months.

Check out the reactions below:

Many wrestling fans shared that their favorite WWE star is back in action. They referred to Nakamura as "GOAT."

Some fans were on cloud nine with The King of Strong Style's new wrestling gear and theme song.

While some fans rejoiced at Shinsuke's entrance and called him a "star."

It remains to be seen if the former Intercontinental Champion will go for the world title on his return or start a feud with other wrestlers.

What did you think of Shinsuke Nakamura's return to SmackDown tonight? Sound off in the comments section below.