10 Shocking (But Believable) Theories About WWE In 2017

5. Shinsuke Nakamura Beats The Miz For The Intercontinental Championship

shinsuke nakamura
IWGP

Though Shinsuke Nakamura is a three-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, the title with which he's most associated is the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. As the charismatic leader of the CHAOS faction, Nakamura racked up five reigns with the white belt, putting it at a level nearly equal to that of the heavyweight title.

In 2016, Nakamura arrived in WWE and, without changing anything about his presentation, took NXT by storm. He's the two-time and reigning NXT Champion, but of course, he's ultimately meant to be a part of the main roster. Within the first couple of months of 2017, he should be on either Raw or Smackdown.

There would be a nice symmetry to Nakamura debuting on Smackdown and setting his sights on the sport's original Intercontinental Title. As IC Champion, The Miz has done great things with the belt, making it seem more important than it has in many years. Still, he's a heel, and heels hold championships so they can eventually drop them to babyfaces. If Nakamura were to take the belt from Miz - especially at WrestleMania - not only would it crown a new star, but it would make the title even more important.

Contributor
Contributor

Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried. *Best Crowd of the Year, 2013