Full Predictions for Shinsuke Nakamura After Win at WWE Backlash 2017

At WWE Backlash, Shinsuke Nakamura exploded onto the screens of wrestling fans around the world, captivating them with his spine-tingling entrance and wowing them with his Japanese Strong Style as he defeated Dolph Ziggler.

The Showoff in the rearview mirror, Nakamura now looks forward to the next challenge and opportunity that awaits him.

Does he target some championship gold or, perhaps, set his sights on another disrespectful Superstar he must silence on his way to greatness with the SmackDown Live brand?

They are questions that need answering in the wake of his monumental debut.

Short Term

After dispatching of Ziggler at Backlash, Nakamura finds himself an internationally recognized star with no clear direction. 

United States champion Kevin Owens and AJ Styles are embroiled in a program destined to continue given the way their match at the pay-per-view ended. New WWE champion Jinder Mahal and Randy Orton will likely follow up their title clash with at least one rematch, especially taking into consideration The Viper lost.

After Baron Corbin lost to Sami Zayn, any realistic opportunity he had of staying hot enough to battle Nakamura evaporated.

In many ways, Ziggler was the best option available to SmackDown. Regardless of recent use, he is a former world champion with a sparkling resume and a lineage of superb matches to his name. He still has a credibility about him that programming him against a performer like Nakamura makes sense and works.

Luckily, SmackDown Live does not have to relegate Nakamura to a rivalry with one Superstar, thanks to the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view.

There is no guarantee The King of Strong Style will be involved in the annual demolition derby that determines the No. 1 contender to the WWE Championship, but as one of the elite wrestlers on the roster, it would make sense that he be featured prominently in the fan-favorite bout. 

Perhaps alongside many of the aforementioned stars.

Long Term

There are two stops on Nakamura's long-term road to greatness fans should most be excited about.

The first is a high-profile feud with AJ Styles, against whom he wrestled an extraordinary match at New Japan Pro Wrestling's Wrestle Kingdom 10 in 2016. The two Superstars have a complicated history dating back to their days overseas.

Bringing their rivalry stateside and wowing a brand new audience with their superb in-ring exploits will eventually help elevate SmackDown Live to Raw's level, a show pitting the best the industry has to offer against each other under the brightest lights imaginable.

Beyond Styles, Nakamura will be at the heart of many championship clashes with the top stars on SmackDown.

It remains to be seen who will unseat Mahal for the WWE Championship, but imagine Nakamura Kinshasa-ing his way to the top prize in professional wrestling and ending The Maharaja's reign over the blue brand in the process.

What if Nakamura and Styles battled for that same championship? Imagine the cerebral nature of matches between Nakamura and Orton over the title.

Nakamura will be one of the faces of SmackDown Live. As such, he will win championships and find himself embroiled in top title programs for many months and years to come.

And SmackDown Live will be better for it.