Shinsuke Nakamura debuted on SmackDown Live this week, but unfortunately, he did not have a match. At least, not on the show that was broadcast on television, as Nakamura actually did perform for the crowd in Orlando, Florida later in the evening.
After SmackDown went off the air, Dolph Ziggler entered and challenged Nakamura to a match, which Nakamura accepted. It seems that this was announced at this time mainly so that the live audience would stay through the taping of 205 Live.
Finally, Nakamura and Ziggler ended up fighting. This would be Nakamura’s first official match on the main roster.
The match lasted about 10 minutes, with Nakamura ultimately defeating Ziggler.
Shinsuke Nakamura, who fans know from New Japan Pro Wrestling and NXT, made his main roster debut on SmackDown Live on April 4th. This came at the end of a segment in which The Miz and Maryse had been brutally mocking John Cena and Nikki Bella.
At the end of the segment, Shinsuke Nakamura’s theme song suddenly kicked in. The crowd in Orlando, Florida absolutely flipped out, but by the time Nakamura made his way to the ring, The Miz and Maryse weren’t even there anymore. The USA broadcast cut to commercial, and that was the last viewers at home saw of Nakamura.
We will likely be seeing more of Shinsuke Nakamura, including his first official match on the main roster, on SmackDown Live next week.