10 WWE Acts That Are Running Out Of Steam
9. Shinsuke Nakamura
'The King Of Strong Style' recently parted ways with a United States Championship he'd remarkably held for 163 days - remarkable for how few of those days he actually spent on camera whilst supposedly stewarding the SmackDown Live midcard.
Presumably deemed a failed experiment after a WrestleMania "dream match" with AJ Styles resulted in a nightmarish series of rematches, Nakamura was left to rot as a heel in the aftermath. Winning the Championship reduced the performer to parody and the title to total filler - so much so that his place on the Raw Vs SmackDown Survivor Series card was his first pay-per-view appearance since SummerSlam.
It's tellingly tragic reviewing his trajectory from a Royal Rumble win one year ago to the pointless pursuits he finds himself engaged in presently, but his performances haven't exactly justified an extended push either. At 38 years old - but with a body that's worn the style he pioneered during NJPW's lean years - there's perhaps never been a smarter time to return to more familiar surrounds.
It looks a sad end to a hopeful tale - "Shin" may want to make his huge life change a success, but WWE themselves no longer seem that bothered about facilitating it for him.