5 Smackdown LIVE Stars Who Could Challenge Shinsuke Nakamura

During this year's Extreme Rules PPV fans witness Shinsuke Nakamura defeat Finn Balor to become the new Intercontinental Champion. The booking decision came as a surprise to many but was a huge victory for the former NXT star that most certainly was needed! Moving forward, it's vital the WWE handle this new title run for Nakamura smartly and creating the right opponents for him could turn things around greatly for the career of Shinsuke and current opinions surrounding the IC Championship.

Ali

As we witnessed in a recent episode of Smackdown LIVE it appears as though Mustafa Ali is lined up to be one of Nakamura’s first opponents and challengers for the Intercontinental Championship. Since his arrival on the main roster, the WWE has booked Ali in several standout matches and a big-time storyline where he truly stands a chance of walking away champion has most certainly been earnt and sure is needed. While the two stars evidently sport very different in-ring styles it's clear that together they could provide an excellent contest. Now, storyline-wise things may fall a little flat here, however, it’s the in ring work that promises the strongest outcome and given enough time I have no doubt that a standout match of the year could take place between these two superstars.

Apollo Crews

While we are yet to truly see the very best of Apollo Crews there is no denying that a push is something, he has more than earned and been waiting for. After spending a few years on the roster with not many creative options it's about time the WWE make some changes and set Crews up with an angle that works in his favour and leads him onto bigger and better things. One of the main issues the WWE will face with booking Apollo vs Shinsuke is the initial interest from fans. The company have done so little with Crews and Nakamura and as a result, creating a storyline fans will have a genuine interest in won’t be an easy task. With that being said we could very easily see fantastic in-ring content from the pair and a future run as champion for Crews would be huge and career-changing. 

Luke Harper

A man fans haven’t seen in quite some time is, of course, Luke Harper.  There have been so many rumours and plenty of discussion surrounding Harper and his position in the WWE but with latest headlines suggesting it could only be a matter of time before he is back on WWE TV could we be looking at a potential major opponent for Nakamura. Now, personally, I have always been a big fan of Harper and so seeing him get singles push and go on to have a memorable title reign is something I would live to bear witness to! Harper does make for an interesting in-ring opponent for Shinsuke but considering just how diverse he is when competing and what he can bring to the table this could very easily surprise fans massively and epic encounter could so easily take place. This would be a huge statement for Harper to make upon a return not to mention a promising and exciting new direction that sets up the push and run as champion he has always deserved.

Aleister Black

One of the most likely future opponents and the man many believe s the favourite to dethrone Nakamura down the line is newcomer Aleister Black. The former NXT Champion has already got fans talking after his brilliant showing at the Extreme Rules PPV against Cesaro. Standing out for his unique looking and striking performances in the ring this is a man with a very bright future ahead of him and a singles bout against Shinsuke goes down as a dream match for many fans including myself. The pair have multiple in-ring similarities when it comes to their styles and it is evident that upon a collision the WWE universe would be in for a treat! This is the bout on today’s list I would expect to be the best match of the bunch. This is also the encounter that I’m confident would remind fans of just how phenomenal Nakamura really is in the ring. He’s wrestling abilities haven’t been highlighted or appreciated half as much as it should be an colliding with Black would make for a massive statement and a career-changing encounter for both superstars.

Shelton Benjamin

There is no denying that Shelton Benjamin is one of the most underrated and underutilised superstars in WWE history. Throughout his wresting career Benjamin has been apart of standout matches and most certainly had his memorable moments but a big-time push and the acknowledgement that he is a top star hasn’t ever really taken place. Returning to the WWE a few years back did leave many fans very excited for what was to come for him but since his WWE Comeback we haven’t seen all too much of him. Moving forward it would be great to see Shelton have an opportunity at the IC title and while their characters may not gel perfectly a gripping storyline may prove to be slightly difficult to pull off he makes for one of the most legit and worthy opponents to Nakamura and the IC title.

The introduction of the wildcard rule has left some confusion amongst the WWE universe and so today we have stuck to focusing in on Smackdown LIVE stars who could challenge Nakamura for the IC title all of which make for promising and interesting challengers but could any of these names go on to dethrone the new champ?