10 Ups & 4 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Jan 29)

3. Shinsuke Nakamura Underdelivers... Again

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. R-Truth
WWE.com

The table was set for a fast, frantic Shinsuke Nakamura vs. R-Truth match. It was a sudden piece of booking, and while their combined age is 85 years old, the short runtime should have allowed them to concoct an adrenaline-driven title change.

What we got wasn't bad; just bland. Nakamura couldn't break out of second gear. His opponent wasn't much better, but while the bout told the concise story of Shinsuke clearly operating on a higher level than Truth but falling through not taking the former K-Kwik seriously enough, the bell-to-bell was skippable.

A messy finish saw Nakamura escape Truth's small package a second too late, prompting much confusion around the arena. Post-replay, it was decreed that the challenger had won. Shinsuke protested, and a shocked Truth celebrated, only to be interrupted by Rusev and Lana moments later.

More on Truth's victory later in the article. The match was dull, though.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.