From the WWE Rumor Mill: Backstage news on whether Nakamura had heat for botching against John Cena
What's the story?
According to PWInsider, there is no heat on Shinsuke Nakamura after botching a backdrop on John Cena this past Tuesday on SmackDown Live.
In case you didn't know...
John Cena and Shinsuke Nakamura faced off for the first time ever in a dream match this past week on SmackDown Live. The match was a #1 contenders match to determine who would face Jinder Mahal at SummerSlam for the WWE Championship.
The match saw Nakamura defeat the 16-time World Champion clean, but it wasn't without a problem. The finish of the match saw Nakamura botch a backdrop which led to Cena landing on the back of his head, nearly injuring himself. The drop can be seen in the 2:45 mark(however, it would be recommended to not watch it if neck bumps make you cringe):
The heart of the matter
According to Mike Johnson, the backdrop was seen as a "fluke" backstage, which meant that there was no heat on Nakamura. He went on to explain that Nakamura had apologized to John Cena right after the match, and Cena forgave him. Also, it wasn't an intentional attempt by Nakamura to injure him, so things are seemingly fine.
This definitely comes as good news, as there have been instances of superstars getting major heat for botching moves. Mr Kennedy is one example, but he is on the extreme end as he got fired from the company.
Kofi Kingston was seemingly set to get a huge singles push in a feud against Randy Orton, but a botched move saw an abrupt halt to his push.
As of this moment, it's rumoured that Nakamura will beat Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam, with Baron Corbin cashing in his Money In The Bank briefcase.
What's next?
Shinsuke Nakamura has the biggest match of his WWE career at SummerSlam, while John Cena looks to be feuding against Baron Corbin next, as Corbin attempted an attack on Nakamura after SmackDown Live went off the air, and Cena made the save.
After SummerSlam, Cena is expected to move over to the RAW brand, as he is advertised for No Mercy, September's RAW-exclusive PPV.
Author's Take
If true, then it's great that there's no heat on Nakamura. He's one of the world's most talented performers, and even the best of the best make mistakes. It's also very pleasing that WWE decided to put enough faith in Nakamura to have him go over Cena clean, and he seems to be on track for a proper world title run sometime in the future, if not the immediate future.
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