For the June 5th episode of SmackDown Live, WWE has something special in store for wrestling fans. Shinsuke Nakamura will be making his Smackdown Live singles debut. His opponent? The New Face of American and United States Champion, Kevin Owens.
After exchanging heated words on last week’s Highlight Reel, the two ended up closing the show (kind of) in the main event’s four man tag. Nakamura would pin KO cleanly, thus logically setting up next week’s showdown.
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The #NewFaceOfAmerica @FightOwensFight goes head-to-head with The ROCKSTAR of @WWE @ShinsukeN next week on #SDLive! pic.twitter.com/GU8HTDuppf
— WWE (@WWE) May 31, 2017
As WWE builds towards Money in the Bank we’ll continue to see similar matches. Early rumors have Nakamura pinned to win the Money in the Bank briefcase, but it’s a little too early to make that presumption. It’s entirely possible that WWE could be planning an Owens vs. Nakamura feud for the United States Championship.
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Unlike RAW, SmackDown owns a flexible, suspenseful main event. One that could play out in abundance of scenarios. We know Randy Orton will get his championship rematch against Jinder Mahal, but there are no guarantees he’ll be winning. For the Money in the Bank match itself, anyone of those competitors would logically exit the PPV with briefcase in hand. And above all, John Cena will return soon. SmackDown has some big pieces to move, and that’s what makes us want to watch.
As for Shinsuke, the more he wins, the quicker he will rise to the top. A victory over Kevin Owens next week will let us know that WWE is serious about the guy and his odds of winning MiTB should jump considerably.
Further, does this mean WWE ready to treat Kevin Owens as the dreaded mid-card guardian – The Dolph Ziggler, Dean Ambrose type whose job is to enhance talent on their way to the main event? For KO fans, the next few weeks should be a good indicator of how WWE exactly feels about his place on the roster. If he loses to Nakamura, then keeps losing, watch out; KO will officially be en route to becoming a stepping stone.
But let’s put the anxiety aside for now and get ready to consume some world class wrestling. That’s the best way to watch WWE, now, right? As adults, we should enjoy 2 wrestlers performing at high levels and pay little mind to who actually wins the match. Easier said than done, I suppose. Regardless, we all now have a great reason to tune in next Tuesday.
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