In this article, we will try to analyze the possible reasons behind Shinsuke Nakamura betraying Seth Rollins and explore possible outcomes after it.
This week’s episode of RAW was very special as it was the RAW after SummerSlam. WWE had lots of surprises scheduled for ] the fans in the show. The main event of RAW was originally planned to be a Six Man Tag Team Match between the member of Judgment Day and the likes of Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes, and Sami Zayn. Zayn was however laid out by JD McDonagh in Backstage. Thus, Zayn was replaced by Shinsuke Nakamura in the match. Nakamura however, attacked Rollins after the end of the match turning heel for the first time in three years.
Possible Reasons Behind the Heel Turn
Need for more Heels on RAW
RAW roster currently has a lot of fresh talents and superstars in it. But at the same time, RAW is also finding it difficult in booking matches as there are more established babyfaces than heels in the show. RAW has a ton of Babyface star power in its roster.
From the likes of main eventers like Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and Drew McIntyre to mid-carders like Chad Gable, Matt Riddle, Ricochet, Johnny Gargano, and Tomasso Ciampa. There is an abundance of baby faces on the RAW roster as opposed to the heels in the show.
The heels would mainly involve the members of the Judgment Day faction i.e. Finn Balor, Damien Priest, and Dominik Mysterio, and the likes of Gunther, Bronson Reed, and The Miz. This clearly shows that the RAW brand has been dealing with the scarcity of heel characters.
Thus, turning Shinsuke Nakamura into a heel is a good decision in balancing the ratio of superstars. This would also lead to many opportunities as we will see in the next point.
Contender for the World Heavyweight Championship
Seth Rollins defended his World Heavyweight Championship against the likes of Finn Balor at the biggest party of the Summer i.e. SummerSlam. Now the big question that was in everyone’s mind was who is the next opponent or challenger for the World Heavyweight Championship.
There were only two contenders who could have challenged Rollins for the title. One would have been Balor and another would have been the Scottish Warrior Drew McIntyre. But Balor had already challenged and lost to Rollins twice and on the flip side McIntyre’s losing streak would make him an unlikely challenger for the title.
Therefore, there was a dire need for a contender for the World Heavyweight Championship. Thus, turning Shinsuke Nakamura heel and him betraying Seth Rollins sets an impending feud between the two superstars. As Nakamura would go on to challenge Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship.
Need for A Fresh Change in Nakamura’s Character
Shinsuke Nakamura had a very unusual journey in the WWE. When Nakamura first debuted on the main roster of WWE, he was portrayed as a big deal on WWE television. He fought with the likes of Dolph Ziggler, Baron Corbin, and John Cena in the initial days and won all the matches. He was cemented as the perfect contender for the WWE Championship but could never with the gold. This forced him to turn heel at Wrestlemania 34, where he low blows AJ Styles. Nakamura’s run as a heel was fun to watch.
He turned Babyface again in the year 2021 when he had a rivalry with the Tribal Chief Roman Reigns. Since he has been portraying the same character. Now this heel turn would definitely bring about a fresh change in Nakamura’s character and persona. There are also rumors that Nakamura’s character would be way more sinister and wild than it was when he turned heel for the first time. Thus this turn would also mean that Shinsuke Nakamura is finally getting his overdue push.
Possible Outcomes of This Heel Turn
A World Heavyweight Championship Feud Between Rollins and Nakamura
As said earlier, this heel turn would definitely lead to a feud between Rollins and Nakamura in the coming months. Nakamura would be the challenger for the World Heavyweight Championship for three to four months. Thus, expect the rivalry between the two to stretch till the end of this year. But there is also a belief that WWE does not want to drop the title off Rollins’ shoulder anytime soon. Therefore, the rivalry would definitely be solid to watch but expect Rollins to retain the title in all the matches.
Affect Damien Priest’s Money in The Bank Cash In
As we all know, Men’s Money in The Bank winner Damien Priest is constantly looking for an opportunity to cash in his Money in the Bank contract and win the World Heavyweight Championship. But was unable to cash in because of Finn Balor fighting Rollins for the title. But now as we know that Rollins’s feud with Balor is over and Shinsuke Nakamura would be the next contender for the title, thus it would finally give Priest an opportunity to cash in his contract.
There is also a possibility that Nakamura would help Priest indirectly in doing so. As noted by several sources Nakamura’s new character would be intense and brutal. Thus there is a possibility that Nakamura would seriously hurt Rollins in the match. And as a result, helping Priest indirectly in cashing in his Money in The Bank contract.
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