Shinsuke Nakamura Returns on WWE SmackDown

For the sixth straight week, United States Champion Sami Zayn extended another “U.S. Open Challenge” to anyone willing to go up against the “Underdog of the Underground” and try their hand at prying away the gold on WWE SmackDown. Over the weeks, many have tried and failed, names like Carmelo Hayes, Rey Fenix, Je’Von Evans, and even the “GOAT” himself, John Cena. As such, the train keeps on rolling, with Zayn welcoming the challenge to anyone brave enough to step up to the plate. Unfortunately for Sami, someone stepped up that he never thought would in the form of former United States Champion, Shinsuke Nakamura.

Before Sami Zayn made his debut on the main roster, he and Nakamura had an absolute classic at NXT Takeover: Dallas back in 2016, on Shinsuke Nakamura’s debut in WWE NXT. Most consider it one of the greatest NXT matches of all time. Through the years, these two have cultivated classics, but we haven’t seen one in a while, making Nakamura’s return to answer the U.S. Open Challenge a much-welcomed surprise.