WWE Superstar Andrade has thrown down the gauntlet to a 44-year-old returning legend, Shinsuke Nakamura, after the latest edition of Friday Night SmackDown. Andrade, a former United States Champion, has claimed that he will capture the title from the current holder, LA Knight. However, Nakamura, who recently made his return to WWE TV after a six-month hiatus, has other plans.
Nakamura’s return to WWE TV was marked by his involvement in a series of matches, including a Triple Threat Match for the United States Championship at Crown Jewel, which was won by LA Knight. After his return, Nakamura took out LA Knight following his match against Berto, and repeated the feat on this week’s SmackDown after The Megastar’s match against Santos Escobar. This has caught the attention of Andrade, who believes that Nakamura needs to wait his turn and that he has a better chance of beating LA Knight for the title.
Andrade’s confidence in his abilities was evident during an interview with Byron Saxton on SmackDown LowDown, where he stated, “Byron, [Shinsuke] Nakamura has been gone for a long time. He needs to wait in the line. I’ll be the man to beat LA Knight for the United States Championship. If Nakamura has a problem with that, I can meet him in the ring next week.” Andrade believes that he has the skills and experience necessary to take down LA Knight and become the new United States Champion.
Meanwhile, wrestling veteran Dutch Mantell has weighed in on Nakamura’s past booking, criticizing the creative direction behind his character. Mantell believes that Nakamura’s previous bookings lacked substance and did not allow him to showcase his talent fully. However, with his current program with The Megastar, Mantell is optimistic about the potential for better character development and utilization of Nakamura’s talent.
The feud between Andrade and Nakamura is expected to continue on next week’s episode of WWE SmackDown, with Andrade looking to take down the 44-year-old legend and claim the United States Championship for himself. Only time will tell if Andrade’s confidence and skills will be enough to overcome the challenge posed by Nakamura.
