5 Reasons Shinsuke Nakamura Shouldn't Become WWE Champ At SummerSlam 2017

3. He Needs More Of A Main Roster Journey

Shinsuke Nakamura MITB
WWE.com

This is all indicative of a wider problem in WWE; what kind of journey did Jinder Mahal have before becoming WWE Champion, for example? Nakamura hasn't quite been the whipping boy Jinder was before suddenly being thrust into the main event mix, but he also hasn't had a story fans can become invested in.

Daniel Bryan's rise to the top several years ago relied on fan participation. People believed they were responsible (at least partly) for Bryan's success, and that feeling of ownership allowed everyone to live vicariously through an outside bet who would represent them. Nakamura hasn't been able to foster that kind of relationship. Then again, he hasn't had time.

Before Nakamura becomes WWE Champion, he needs some sort of journey that establishes him as someone to believe in. A Royal Rumble win or Money In The Bank success would be ideal for this, although the former is obviously closer on the calendar.

Long story short, give fans an adventure to get stuck into.

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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.