The Rise, Fall and Soon to Be Resurrection of Shinsuke Nakamura in WWE

Only seven months into his main roster run, Shinsuke Nakamura has already experienced several peaks and pitfalls in WWE, but his resurrection at Survivor Series 2017 will ensure he fulfills his full potential as one of the biggest stars the company has ever seen.

It was evident as soon as he arrived in NXT in April 2016 and contested a match-of-the-year candidate with Sami Zayn that he was bound for super stardom. He remained a hot commodity throughout his one year stint in NXT, which saw him become a two-time NXT champion and face off with the illustrious likes of Austin Aries, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe.

By WrestleMania 33, Nakamura was long overdue for a call-up to the main roster, and on April 4, he made his highly anticipated debut on SmackDown Live. On that night, he left a lasting impression on the WWE Universe through his captivating entrance and breathtaking presence, never saying a single word.

The feud that was teased between himself and The Miz would have been the best way to introduce the former IWGP Heavyweight champion to the main roster audience, but instead, he was placed in a program with Dolph Ziggler, who hasn't meant much in several years.

While it was wise of WWE to hold off on Nakamura wrestling his first televised match until the Backlash pay-per-view, the buildup to the bout was less-than-stellar. His promos, which weren't his strong suit in NXT, exposed his limitations on the microphone, and most of the material he and Ziggler were given to work with was fairly forgettable.

Their initial encounter at Backlash, albeit well-wrestled, failed to showcase Nakamura like the main event player he is. After struggling to remain relevant for so long, Ziggler should not have as scored as much offense as he did over Nakamura, and the competitive contest was the first sign WWE may not know exactly how to handle him.

Credit: WWE.com

Although his rivalry with Ziggler didn't kick off his SmackDown stint on the highest of notes, Nakamura was largely protected in the months that followed.

He and AJ Styles clashed in an unforgettable moment in the main event of Money in the Bank, he beat Baron Corbin by disqualification at Battleground and he notched a huge victory versus John Cena on July 25. All of these things contributed to Nakamura's meteoric rise, with it appearing that a WWE Championship reign was in his immediate future.

Not only was his SummerSlam outing against Jinder Mahal below par, he failed to walk away with the WWE title at the August extravaganza. By that point, it was evident that Mahal was not a good fit as champion and wasn't adapting to the role as well as officials had hoped, but that didn't stop them from keeping the gold on him for a while longer.

Credit: WWE.com

If not SummerSlam, Hell in a Cell would have been an ideal time for Nakamura to emerge victorious in his second shot at the strap. That match was equally abysmal and once again ended with Mahal retaining his title, further devaluing Nakamura's stock on the SmackDown roster.

That defeat didn't do permanent damage, but it did cause him to lose a little bit of the luster he had before. He could have been in way worse shape if WWE showed no interest in pushing him beyond that event, but he quickly qualified for Team SmackDown at Survivor Series by beating Kevin Owens on Oct. 31.

That marquee match pitting Raw against SmackDown will feature notable names such as Kurt Angle, Shane McMahon, John Cena, Finn Balor, Randy Orton and others, so he will have a chance to rub elbows with some of WWE's most elite athletes and prove why he deserves to be among that upper echelon of talent.

All eyes are on Survivor Series at the moment, but once the Raw vs. SmackDown rivalry wraps up, Nakamura can continue to be focused on in the remainder of the year. The blue brand will host another exclusive event, Clash of Champions, on Dec. 17, and perhaps there he can get back on track with a win against someone such as Owens or Zayn.

Thankfully, WWE hasn't had Nakamura and Styles do battle in singles competition, as that is a bout best saved for a stage like WrestleMania. In fact, the 2018 spring spectacle would be the perfect place to pull the trigger on that dream match, especially if Styles is still in possession of the WWE title by then and Nakamura can manage to come out on top in the 2017 Royal Rumble.

Regardless of what WWE has in store for The Artist around WrestleMania season, he will find his way back to the main event scene and cement his status as a perennial WWE Championship caliber competitor before long.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is an Endicott College alumnus and aspiring journalist. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.