5 Ups And 2 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (May 30)

Ups...

5. Nakamura's Pinning Streak Continues

Baron Corbin Sami Zayn
WWE.com

The first bout of the evening saw Sami Zayn and Shinsuke Nakamura square-off against Kevin Owens and Baron Corbin, and it succeeded. Nobody put forth a show-stealing performance, but it was a nice rebound from the tedious segment that prefaced it, and built some nice heat between the wrestlers ahead of Money In The Bank.

Zayn showed good fire throughout, while Nakamura was able to show glimpses of his flashy in-ring style without giving too much away. The heels, meanwhile, worked a tenuous alliance from bell-to-bell, culminating in Corbin dropping Owens with a straight right hand, allowing Nakamura to finish the job with his Kinshasa knee strike, and pin the United States Champion for the second consecutive week.

The outcome should set Shinsuke up for a potential US Title shot down the line, and the heels' confrontation shows that there are no friends with MITB looming. The crowd were into it too, with the closing sequence drawing a big pop, and while 'The King Of Strong Style' has yet to show main roster audiences the full range of his abilities, he felt like a star here. Overall, a fun tag match that didn't overstay its welcome, and kept the pieces moving ahead of what promises to be a wild pay-per-view.

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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.