10 Impulse Reactions Following WWE Battleground 2017
9. Low Blow
Discerning fans were right to be optimistic about Shinsuke Nakamura's chances on the main roster after his rampant success on NXT (as well as the fact the company even signed him the first place), but it now simply has to be concluded that the organisation can just not figure out his most efficient utilisation.
The story's becoming worryingly familiar. Fans go ape for his entrance, but are then given no reason to evoke when the bell rings, to the point where his WWE homogenisation looks complete in record time.
Many will lay blame with Baron Corbin as his limited and inexperienced opponent with a worrying habit of giving several top stars their worst matches since he began his own tear through the developmental brand. However, Corbin's elevated his storytelling game exponentially since really tapping into his contemporary d*ckhead persona in recent months. His moves don't wow but his actions generate emotion, and 'The King Of Strong Style' looks to have the exact opposite dilemma.
The company deserves credit for keeping the entrance fairly special (often by just not featuring it on television at all), but Shinsuke desperately requires an opponent that can make his offence look like it matters far more than his marketable histrionics. Especially when he's left for dead by a low blow in the cheapest of get-outs. That key opponent looked to be coming at SummerSlam, but it appears perhaps that things may have changed...