10 WWE Stars We Expected To Be World Champion By Now

2. Shinsuke Nakamura

Stone Cold Steve Austin Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE.com

The multi-faceted failure that was the Shinsuke Nakamura/AJ Styles feud did more than just diffuse yet another "dream match" by subjecting it to the broken WWE creative machine. It distanced the 'King of Strong Style' even further away from the throne than when he was back in New Japan Pro Wrestling.

As a heel, Nakamura is ten times the "WWE Superstar" he was as a main roster babyface, but has lost so emphatically to the 'Phenomenal One' that he can't get near the blue brand's belt until AJ has actually lost it. Even then, the feud seemed to denote Vince McMahon's faith in Shinsuke's abilities draining away.

Any aura he'd established since debuting for NXT in 2016 had long disappeared in a haze of low blows and lame matches, with a recent United States Championship reign already appearing to be a level both company and competitor are more comfortable with. There's always Monday Night Raw for a fresh start, but the Universal Title currently slung over Roman Reigns' shoulder seems permanently destined to remain on the trading floor of the Vince McMahon Big Lads Club. No Kinshasa could kick that door down.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett