Why Shinsuke Nakamura Needs To Win Tonight

So, I just quoted this, and I wanted to explain why I think Shinsuke should win. Of the five men: Daniel Bryan, Sami Zayn, Rey Mysterio, Baron Corbin, and Shinsuke Nakamura; 3 seem as all possible for this match as ever.

Let’s begin...

First, let’s eliminate the 2 that don’t make any sense. Baron Corbin, although with the new character, does not have a close story with Reigns that would logically connect to Reigns currently. And Baron Corbin is simply not ready with his knights yet.

Rule out King Corbin.

The second person that does not make any sense is Sami Zayn. Although he has shown that he can carry a title with prestige, and with a tie to Kevin Owens, his current character doesn’t resemble one to save Kevin Owens. And, he’s still got Big E on his mind.

Rule out Sami Zayn.

This superstar is a debatable contender, but Rey Mysterio does make sense. Considering he just had many months against Seth Rollins, former brethren of Reigns, Rey Mysterio can play the David to Reigns’ Goliath persona and work to take down the Big Dog for his son. Interesting.

The only problem is: it’s not a good enough story to tell that makes it anywhere remotely compelling. Rey Mysterio does have history with Reigns, at the Royal Rumble in fact, but it’s not as big as the other two superstars...or is it?

Rule out Rey Mysterio, though.

Everyone’s go-to is Daniel Bryan. His feud with Reigns has been building for weeks, and it totally makes sense. They do have history at the Rumble, inadvertently. However, it should be saved for Wrestlemania, where the actual story was told. Bryan didn’t even enter that Rumble.

Instead, they fought at Fastlane for the chance to take on Brock Lesnar in the Main Event, only to lose to a Money In The Bank Seth Rollins. This was a Rumble everybody asked for Daniel Bryan to win. He wasn’t even included. It only makes more sense for Bryan to win the Rumble.

Daniel Bryan was the first entrant in the Rumble, and he prepared a message that he wanted to win the Royal Rumble before he retires. If Bryan wins tonight, how does that complete his mission? Daniel Bryan should absolutely play a prime role in this match.

Rule out Daniel Bryan.

On to who I think should win, and that is Shinsuke Nakamura. And here’s why.

Since Daniel Bryan has a mission for a Royal Rumble victory set in mind, he should be the last person eliminated to make a possible win seem even more exciting, because everyone wants the match.

If Daniel Bryan goes to #5, the only man left would be Shinsuke Nakamura. To refresh some history, in Shinsuke and Daniel Bryan’s last encounter, Shinsuke tapped out to Daniel Bryan in something many claimed should not have happened. People have asked for more Shinsuke Nakamura.

If Shinsuke was to be the last man entering in the match, he should pin Daniel Bryan and this would capitalize on the marks who have begged for a patiently awaited Shinsuke Nakamura Universal Championship match with, you guessed it, Roman Reigns. Reigns vs. Nakamura is money.

And, two things come out of this:
1. Some legitimacy to an Artist Collective vs. Street Profits Tag Team Championship match. We know both teams can produce a great championship match, and can bring some much-needed legitimacy to the SmackDown Tag Team division.

2. Shinsuke and Roman have Royal Rumble history. The same year Shinsuke won the Rumble, Roman Reigns was eliminated by Shinsuke Nakamura, who eventually lost to AJ Styles at Wrestlemania 34. Fans have wanted to see their encounter after that Spear counter into a Kinshasa.

And last I checked, Roman has faced another man recently who eliminated him last in the Royal Rumble. That man is Drew McIntyre. And Roman defeated him recently, in fact at Survivor Series. A little stroll down memory lane is a stretch, but it works in this specific scenario.

In turn, Shinsuke Nakamura may be the workhorse outcome. He should win. Does that mean he will? Absolutely not. One can only hope SmackDown freshens up the scene for a one-off that helps the overall product for the better. Or maybe, it is Daniel Bryan after all.

Shinsuke