WWE Payback 2023: 10 Nightmares That Could Come True
3. Nakamura’s Challenge Falls Flat
This, unfortunately, will always be a worry.
WWE has been heating up then cooling Shinsuke Nakamura down for years now, but it says everything about how much respect wrestling fans have for the man that he's a fun challenger for Seth Rollins in 2023. Will that extend to a red hot atmosphere come bell time in PA?
That's a pertinent question, because few really think Nakamura is taking the World Heavyweight belt from Seth on Saturday night. Rollins being almost guaranteed to win will dampen excitement for this match then. Perhaps that's just the price WWE has to pay on these 'B' tier pay-per-views.
Creative blatantly fancies getting more than one PLE out of this rivalry, so they'd be sitting backstage head in hands if Pittsburgh's fanbase sat on its hands throughout the first chapter. It's really important that Shinsuke is greeted as a genuine threat to Rollins. Otherwise, this might be wrap on his World Title shots in WWE.