Shinsuke Nakamura Has Only Defended The Intercontinental Championship On Television Once

Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Apollo Crews to win the WWE Intercontinental title on the August 13 SmackDown. Nearly 100 days have passed since he won the title. Nakamura has defended the belt only once on television since becoming champion.

The strange statistic was pointed out by @WrestleFeatures on Twitter. Many fans who were aware that defenses were rare were shocked to learn the exact depths of the dearth of television matches. It’s truly a breathtaking number, even though it’s been right there all along staring everyone in the face.

“Shinsuke Nakamura won the IC Title in August. In the 93 days since winning the title, he has defended it a total of ONE single time on WWE TV. Why do they always book his IC/US Title runs so awfully?”

Nakamura’s lone defense of the IC title came in a rematch against Crews on the September 24 SmackDown. Since then, it’s been house shows or nothing. In modern wrestling, unless there is a title change, house shows don’t really count. Therefore, he’s got just one defense since he won the strap.

In addition to the IC title, Nakamura is a decorated champion in WWE. He’s a two-time United States Champion. He’s held the Smackdown tag titles with Cesaro. He’s also got two NXT titles and a Royal Rumble win to his credit.

This is Shinsuke Nakamura’s second reign as Intercontinental champ. He defeated Finn Balor on the Extreme Rules 2019 preshow to win the title the first time. It would certainly make sense to do something with the title if they’re going to keep it around.

Who would you book to wrestle Shinsuke Nakamura for the Intercontinental championship? Let us know in the comments!