WWE SmackDown Star Hints at Frustration With His Roll in WWE

It's been a weird 2021 for Shinsuke Nakamura on Friday Night SmackDown. Back on the Jan. 8 episode, it looked like the former NXT Champion was being positioned for another world championship program — something he hadn't done since his lengthy feud with AJ Styles back in 2018 — when Roman Reigns and Jey Uso sabotaged his impressive run in a No. 1 contender's gauntlet match. Nakamura beat Uso the following week and cut a few passionate promos leading up to the Royal Rumble, but he lost the Rumble and nothing regarding that Reigns feud materialized.

The former IWGP Heavyweight Champion now finds himself back in the midcard involved in the feud between Big E and the Apollo Crews (fresh off a heel turn and character change). He uploaded a video on Saturday from backstage at SmackDown and teased getting revenge on Crews.

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A post shared by Shinsuke Nakamura (@shinsukenakamura)

"Apollo, you've changed. I respect that, 'cause I've changed too. But, I don't respect what you did to Big E, what you did to me tonight. You changed the outfit, you changed the attitude, but you can never change who you really are and what you've done. You like to live in the past, but I am the future. Last week wasn't personal. I want to be the world champion, you were my opponent. But now, you've started something that I will finish. You should remember who I am."

In the comments of the post a fan argued what Nakamura was "wasting" his talents in WWE and that he should go back to New Japan (where he was one of the promotion's biggest stars). Another responded that "he's happy" now that he gets to work a safer style.

Nakamura saw this and fired back with, "Who said I'm happy? Don't believe anything other than what I said."

It's hard to say what this means for now, but stay tuned for future updates. Nakamura signed with WWE back in 2016 and has since won the NXT Championship twice, the 2018 Men's Royal Rumble, the United States Championship twice and the Intercontinental and SmackDown Tag Team Championships once apiece.