Why Shinsuke Nakamura Is Poised to Be WWE SmackDown's Biggest Star

Shinsuke Nakamura will ride an electric presence to the top of WWE SmackDown.

The journey to the blue 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 all those weapons in action.

Nakamura's first official match on the main roster is now set following his latest collision with Ziggler. After The Showoff called him out on Tuesday's SmackDown, the former NXT champion wanted to fight right then and there. Ziggler, though, demanded they hold off until the Backlash pay-per-view on May 21.

That clash promises to be dynamite.

Ziggler is adept at making his opponents look great. Nakamura has a 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:

And Nakamura has made a career out of stealing the show.

During his New Japan Pro Wrestling tenure, The King of Strong Style flourished against AJ Styles at Wrestle Kingdom 10, Karl Anderson at Power Struggle 2015 and Hiroshi Tanahashi at G1 Climax 2015. Wrestling Observer Newsletter founder Dave Meltzer rated those bouts (h/t Internet Wrestling Database) 4.75, 4.0 and 5.0 stars, respectively.

Once Nakamura came to NXT, the hits kept coming, including in a sizzling showdown with Sami Zayn to kick off his WWE career.

More matches like those are on their way. Expect Nakamura to put together a resume much like Styles' in 2016. Nakamura is sure to thrill opposite Ziggler before moving on to new foes like Kevin Owens and Randy Orton.

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

When Paul Heyman spoke of the Japanese star during Inside the Ropes Live With Paul Heyman (h/t Inside the Ropes), he said, "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 and not being a native English speaker.

In a 2015 interview with Brian Truitt of USA Today, Triple H talked up the importance of charisma to a wrestler's success. "It's the hardest thing to teach," he said. "It's that guy who walks in the door and everybody stops and says, 'Who's that?'" 

No one may have more of that quality on the WWE roster right now than Nakamura.

He exudes a rock star aura. Every movement in the ring is brimming with energy. He's a strutting peacock who kicks like a mule. 

It will help that WWE's longtime cornerstone won't be around on a full-time basis. John Cena is currently absent from the SmackDown stage and has taken regular hiatuses in the past few years.

Many fans are tired of seeing Orton in the spotlight. Baron Corbin isn't quite ready to be SmackDown's top guy. Owens and Styles will provide Nakamura his main competition in the effort to become the clear No. 1 star on the blue brand.

The King of Strong Style will outdo those men in terms of charisma, though. They can both keep up with him in the ring, but language barrier and all, Nakamura will resonate more deeply. He's an eye-catching performer we've never seen before, a magnetic artiste destined for stardom.

SmackDown will be his show before long.