6 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (10 May - Results & Review)

Downs...

3. Sorry, Shinsuke. Don’t Believe You!

Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE

Shinsuke Nakamura moved from Raw > SmackDown in the Draft, and the blue brand's latest acquisition received a short vignette promising that nobody is safe and SmackDown will "never be the same again" now he's here. It was all standard stuff and well-produced, but the key message falls a little short.

No-one's buying Shin's bold claims in 2024.

Nakamura did have a neat and tidy mini-feud vs. Cody Rhodes over on Mondays, but he's hardly going to make a big splash on Fridays going forwards. If anything, Naka will be used in a 'jobber to the stars' role. That's fine, but it was a bit OTT of WWE to proudly decree that SmackDown will "never be the same again".

It will - it will be the same again. Shinsuke warring with folks like Bobby Lashley, LA Knight and Andrade on the undercard is hardly going to shake the foundations of WWE completely. Maybe this grandiose speech should've been saved for a bigger signing than SmackDown's 12th overall pick.

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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.