Jan 29, 2022; St. Louis, MO, USA; Shinsuke Nakamura during the Royal Rumble The Dome at America's Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Are Plans For Shinsuke Nakamura Being Revealed?

Originally posted on Wrestling on SI
By Ethan Schlabaugh | Last updated Sep 13, 2025 6:30 PM ET

The former United States and Intercontinental Champion, Shinsuke Nakamura, hasn't been seen on WWE television in a few months. His last appearance was on the June 13th episode of SmackDown, which saw him lose a King of the Ring first-round Fatal Four-Way match to Cody Rhodes.

A few months ago, there was considerable speculation that his contract would not be renewed by the WWE, potentially leading to Nakamura's departure from the company. Luckily for fans of the "King of Strong Style" that doesn't seem to be the case, and Nakamura is going to remain with the promotion.

That is known because fans spotted Nakamura on last night's episode of SmackDown as he was stalking United States Champion Sami Zayn backstage during a segment.

Shinsuke Nakamura was lurking in the background during both of Sami Zayn’s backstage segments tonight#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/AZ0GYdVOgy
— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) September 13, 2025

While the champion might be busy with Carmelo Hayes, who already called his shot at challenging for the United States Championship, a match between Nakamura and Zayn could be planned for the near future with these backstage teasers.

Could Shinsuke Nakamura Hold Gold Again?

Hali Tauxe/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

Shinsuke Nakamura's last run with WWE gold was back when he captured the United States Championship from LA Knight at Survivor Series: WarGames 2024. That reign would last for 97 days, with Nakamura only making a brief amount of title defenses before losing the belt back to Knight on SmackDown in March.

Fans were not particularly behind that title reign, as it came somewhat recently after Logan Paul's excessively long reign with the belt, which also saw barely any championship defenses. Also, fans wanted to see LA Knight holding gold at this time, so his loss to Nakamura, who wasn't in the best spot on the card, was a bit of a downer.

Shinsuke Nakamura DOMINATED LA Knight and is the NEW @WWE United States Champion! #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/jBWjBM3jT0
— USA Network (@USANetwork) December 1, 2024

With the reaction to his last title reign being so negative, does it seem likely that Nakamura could hold a title again anytime soon?

Nakamura is currently 45 years old and while not a part-timer by any means, he does work a lighter schedule, only having a handful of matches each year since 2020.

This article first appeared on Wrestling on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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