3 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Jan 15)

1. The Downside To Nakamura

Shinsuke Nakamura Jey Uso
WWE.com

Time to be a 'Negative Nancy'. Or, should that be a 'Negative Naka'?

It's pretty cool to see Shinsuke Nakamura return to his roots, bring back that original entrance music and get a push. However (and here's the negative bit), is he really a good fit as a babyface counterpart to Roman Reigns? In the ring, maybe. When motivated, Nakamura is obviously one hell of a worker.

On the mic? Not so much, and that's where the bulk of Roman's brilliance has been since he returned as a fire-breathing heel at SummerSlam 2020. Reigns' promo work with Jey Uso and Kevin Owens complemented both feuds and helped make the actual matches can't-miss prospects.

Nakamura doesn't offer much verbally. It'll take more than lame jokes like calling Jey Uso a "little puppy" to get people fired up for a Universal Title showdown with Reigns, put it that way. Daniel Bryan would be a much better choice, but maybe WWE are holding off on that until 'Mania.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.