The quiet return of Shinsuke Nakamura appears ready to escalate tonight. After fans spotted him in Toledo, Ohio—the site of this week’s Friday Night SmackDown—a report from PWInsider confirmed that the King of Strong Style is in town, intensifying speculation about his full reentry into WWE programming.
This development follows Nakamura’s first appearance in months during last week’s SmackDown. In that episode, he was featured in several backstage segments, shadowing United States Champion Sami Zayn and clearly signaling the direction of his comeback.
Before that cryptic appearance, Nakamura had been absent from television for more than three months. His last match aired on the June 13 edition of SmackDown, where he failed to advance in a King of the Ring qualifying bout against Damian Priest, Andrade, and eventual winner Cody Rhodes.
A program with Zayn would place Nakamura back into a title scene where his own history is complicated. Zayn has been actively defending the championship, determined to restore its standing, with a defense already scheduled against Carmelo Hayes tonight. That effort stands in sharp contrast to Nakamura’s most recent reign with the belt.
Nakamura captured the United States Championship at Survivor Series: WarGames in late 2024 by defeating LA Knight, but his reign lasted just over three months and was marked by sparse defenses. The run drew negative comparisons to Logan Paul’s high-profile tenure with the same title and was viewed as a creative setback for the former Royal Rumble winner—a downturn that stretched into the months that followed.
After losing the championship earlier this spring, Nakamura’s appearances dwindled until he disappeared from television entirely, fueling speculation about his contract and future with WWE. Reports suggested AEW had no interest, yet his participation in a WWE meet-and-greet in late August indicated he remained in the company’s plans, even as WWE has reportedly shifted focus toward younger talent.
Now, with his presence in Toledo confirmed, the speculation has ended. The attention turns to SmackDown, where the question is not whether Nakamura will move on Zayn, but how—and when—the King of Strong Style will make his play for the United States Championship.