WWE Hall Of Famer Edge recently did an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard to talk about the Royal Rumble pay-per-view (PPV) this weekend. “The Rated-R Superstar” explained why he’d like to see former NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura win the men’s Royal Rumble match:
“I think it would be awesome,” said Edge. “Nakamura has that kind of Jeff Hardy intangible, and then you add in the history with him and AJ. The North American audience and, to an extent, the worldwide audience, has not seen what Nakamura brings to the table. We’ve seen flashes of it in his matches against Sami Zayn and Randy Orton. As evidenced by his New Japan work, he can be a very special performer. It would be nice to see him at least given that shot. From there, it’s up to him whether he sinks or swims. Sometimes, not everyone adapts to the style.
“It’s a different company, it’s a different audience, it’s an entirely different hurricane. Sometimes styles don’t translate. Rey Mysterio was a master of doing that. No matter where he went, Rey could make his style adapt. But not everyone is Rey Mysterio. I love Nakamura, but it’s a transition for anybody who comes to WWE. You start him off with Sami at NXT, and talk about having the ultimate meal set for you: you get this amazing selling babyface and get to have this spectacular match. As I’ve talked about on the podcast, NXT is a different beast from WWE.
“But I think he and AJ can be one of the main events, and I also know the people want it. With the proper build, AJ-Nakamura could be the match on last. That’s why I’d like to see Nakamura win the Rumble. He and AJ would have an amazing match, and that would give a different flavor to WrestleMania. You’d also have Brock-Roman and maybe Cena-Taker, as well as the women’s division, so then you’re pretty much set with a solid card.”
You can ready Edge’s full interview with Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard by clicking this link here.
