Shinsuke Nakamura announced on this week’s Monday Night Raw that he’ll challenge Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship in a Last Man Standing Match at Fastlane on Oct. 7. Nakamura has been targeting the champ’s injured back since their feud first began last month and explained that he’ll exploit that injury again in their rematch to the point where Rollins will no longer be able to stand on his own two feet. But if WWE history is any indication, Nakamura might have picked the worst possible stipulation in his quest to finally become a WWE world champion.ย
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While the match concept originated as the Texas Death Match in the mid-20th century, WWE wouldn’t use the Last Man Standing stipulation with any frequency until the Attitude Era. According to Cagematch, WWE has booked a championship match with a Last Man Standing stipulation 20 times on either TV or pay-per-view, starting with Mankind vs. The Rock for the WWF Championship at St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in 1999. However, a title has only changed hands three times in those 20 matches and the last time was a decade ago.
Is last night’s announcement a sign that Rollins’ title reign will continue? Or will Nakamura end a 10-year streak en route to becoming a Grand Slam Champion? Tell us your predictions in the comments!
WWE Fastlane 2023 Card (As of Now)
- World Heavyweight Championship:ย Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (Last Man Standing)
- John Cena vs. Solo Sikoa & Jimmy Uso
Seth Rollins Claims His Back Injury Won’t Hurt His World Championship Reign
Rollins revealed in an interview with Logan Paul earlier this summer that he’s been dealing with a back injury since 2019, one that will eventually require surgery. He has since repeatedly stated in interviews that the injury won’t have an effect on his title reign.
“It is what it is. All of us have something,”ย Rollins said onย The Bumpย earlier this month.ย “We’ve all got some sort of nagging injury, we’ve all got something that’s pulling at us, telling us we need to slow down. That’s just part of the game. I know that. Everybody knows that. Now, my injury might be a little more serious than some people. But I know how to manage it. I told Shinsuke, I told the world. I won the World Heavyweight Championship with a broken back. I’ve been defending the World Heavyweight Championship with a broken back.ย
“So even though Shinsuke’s the first guy to really target that injury, I feel like I know what it takes to manage it. I’ll be just fine, I promise you. I promise everybody out there who’s concerned. I’m gonna be fine. I promise you guys, I will be fine. The championship is in good hands,” he continued.
