The Tribune

By Inigo ‘Naughty’ Zenicazelaya

AS most of you all are aware, a huge part of dealing with the long NFL offseason is watching Monday Night Raw and Tuesday Night Smackdown with my sons. (A great joy as a father, I must admit.)

Also I’ve been a huge wrestling fan all of my life, I’ve seen all of the greats, so I know when ‘the next big thing’ in the WWE is going to be. So, with that being said, let’s meet Shinsuke Nakamura -

The journey to the WWE’s ‘Smackdown’ brand’s upper echelon will begin with battles against Dolph Ziggler and end with ‘The King of Strong Style’ sauntering around with the WWE Championship in hand. Nakamura will make that trek armed with top-flight in-ring acumen, mastery of strikes and a rare amount of “it” factor.

It won’t be long until SmackDown fans see Nakamura’s entire deadly arsenal.

Nakamura’s first official match on the main roster is now set following his latest collision with Ziggler. After ‘The Showoff’, Ziggler called Nakamura out on last Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown, the former NXT champion wanted to fight Ziggler right then and there.

Ziggler, though, demanded they hold off until the Backlash pay-per-view on May 21. (More WWE marketing at work, to push the upcoming ‘Backlash’ PPV)

That ‘Backlash’ matchup promises to be dynamite. Ziggler is adept at making his opponents look great (Yes, Pro Wrestling is still fake) and couple that with Nakamura’s habit of delivering in big matches. There will be ample speed, athleticism and theatrics on display during the bout, too.While the two rivals have yet to meet in televised action, they have competed in a number of dark matches and house show contests.

Tim Fiorvanti, of ESPN.com, has high hopes for Ziggler vs. Nakamura after seeing their first meeting.

“I saw Nakamura vs Ziggler in a pre Wrestlemania ‘dark match’ and the future of the WWE is looking awesome right about now.”

More matches like those are on their way. Expect Nakamura to put together a résumé much like 2016 Next Big Thing in the WWE AJ Styles did in 2016.

Nakamura is sure to thrill opposite Ziggler before moving on to new foes like current US Champion Kevin Owens and WWE World Champion Randy Orton.

And a steady stream of excellence between the ropes will hook fans.

When Paul Heyman said this regarding the Japanese star during Inside the Ropes Live With Paul Heyman: “If Nakamura goes out there and puts on a Nakamura match every chance he gets, I don’t think anybody can hold him back.”

And beyond his ring work, the master of the Kinshasa will pull in the audience by way of his charisma. It will be his key to success despite his heavy accent. Very reminiscent of ‘Kendo Nagasaki’ and ‘The Great Muta’ Pro Wrestling Hall of Famers that preceded him in the ‘70s 80s and 90s.

Nakamura exudes a rock star aura. Every in ring manoeuvre is brimming with energy. He’s a strutting peacock who kicks like a mule. A perfect recipe for success in today’s WWE.

Keep your eye on Shinsuke Nakamura, he’s an electrifying performer, the likes of which we’ve never seen before, a magnetic artiste destined for stardom.

• Naughty presents ‘Mischief and Mayhem in da AM’ from 6am to 10am, Monday to Friday and ‘The Press Box’ sports talk show on Sunday from 10am to 1pm, on KISS FM 96.1. Comments and questions to naughty@tribunemedia.net