Seth Rollins Excited For “Dream Match” With Shinsuke Nakamura At WWE Payback
Seth Rollins has spoken about how excited he is to face this version of Shinsuke Nakamura at WWE Payback.
It is rare to call a match that has been done before a “dream match” but in the opinion of Seth Rollins, getting to wrestle this version of Shinsuke Nakamura is a dream match to him.
In what could be the main event of WWE Payback tonight in Pittsburgh, Seth “Freakin” Rollins will defend the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura.
This isn’t the first time that Rollins and Nakamura have wrestled. At Survivor Series 2018, they had a match with Intercontinental Champion Rollins beating US Champion Nakamura. They also wrestled at Fastlane 2021 with Rollins beating Nakamura in that match. There have been other matches, but none of them as been as big as this one at Payback.
The story going into this match has seen the heel Nakamura do cheap attacks on Rollins while also talking about how Rollins has a serious back injury. That’s something Rollins has acknowledged by speaking openly about how he has two stress fractures in his lower back that Rollins has wrestled with for about five years.
Seth Rollins Calls Shinsuke Nakamura A “Special Dude”
Prior to joining WWE in 2016, Shinsuke Nakamura was known for popularizing the Japanese Strong Style that would become very popular in Japan as well as American wrestling. Nakamura is regarded by many to be one of the greatest Japanese wrestlers ever that is still performing at a high level.
During an appearance on WWE’s After The Bell podcast, Seth Rollins spoke about his excitement going into tonight’s huge match.
“He’s a dangerous cat. You look at his catalog, it’s second to none. He’s one of the greatest in-ring performers there is. In many ways, I’m thrilled our audience is finally getting to see the version of Shinsuke Nakamura that you and I fell in love with many years ago. I’m excited for him to be able to get himself to a place where clearly his confidence is rocking. You can see it, you can feel it, there is an electricity every single time he’s out there, often at my expense, but even the pre-tape packages have been something to behold. You can see it.”
“He’s a special dude. He’s vibing, he’s feeling himself. The only issue for him is I’m also vibing and also feeling myself. We’re two dudes at the top of our game. It’s going to be special. A few years ago, some people might have called this a dream match. I think now, more than ever, it’s a dream match. The fact that we have the World Heavyweight Championship on the line, it’s only going to add to it and it’s going to be a special night for both of us.”
Here’s the lineup for the WWE Payback PLE lineup taking place tonight, September 2nd, in Pittsburgh:
* World Heavyweight Championship: Seth “Freakin” Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
* Women’s World Heavyweight Championship: Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez
* Steel City Street Fight for the WWE Tag Team Championships: Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens vs. Damian Priest & Finn Balor
* Steel Cage Match: Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus
* United States Championship: Rey Mysterio vs. Austin Theory
* LA Knight vs. The Miz
* Grayson Waller Effect talk show with Cody Rhodes as the guest
* John Cena is the host
You can watch WWE Payback on Saturday, September 2, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, streaming LIVE on Peacock in the United States and on WWE Network everywhere else.