Breaking Down John Cena vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

John Cena against Shinsuke Nakamura is the biggest fight of the year for SmackDown Live. Not only is a shot at the WWE title on the line, but two legacies are on the line.

For years, these two men have been the face of their respective companies. Cena has carried WWE for well over decade. During that same time, Nakamura was running roughshod in New Japan. Two years ago, a bout of this magnitude never seemed possible. Tuesday, it becomes a reality.

This is a classic striker vs. grappler match.

With the Undertaker retired, Nakamura holds the distinction of being the best striker in the WWE. His ability to blend punches, kicks, knees, and elbows is something you only see out of elite MMA strikers like Jon Jones. Very few people have stood toe-to-toe with Nakamura and lived to tell about it.

There’s Cena, a well-rounded wrestler and one of the most feared grapplers in history. Cena’s STF submission has forced countless combatants to tap out. His strength and athleticism allows him to grab a hold of opponents and toss them around with ease.

Cena can’t afford to mess around with Nakamura on the feet. Even though he’s a good boxer and incredibly tough, Cena has never faced anyone with the striking diversity of Nakamura. He’s been in the ring with a great puncher like The Undertaker and he’s been in the ring with a great kicker like CM Punk, but Nakamura is on a different striking level than both of those men. We’ve seen Cena get his nose broken and finish bouts, but this isn’t Seth Rollins. Nakamura has a killer instinct that Rollins can only dream of.

While Cena has the grappling advantage, don’t sleep on Nakamura’s ground game. He has an excellent guard, constantly threatening with triangle chokes and armbars. And his top game is vicious as he brutalizes opponents with elbows and knees. Cena’s advantage comes in the form of his strength, intelligence, and experience on the ground. Cena is pound-for-pound the strongest grappler to ever grace the ring. He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, and when he does, he uses his strength to overcome.

Cena has out-grappled every opponent he’s been in the ring with, including the likes of Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle. Nothing scares Cena. He knows that he can hang in there with Olympic gold medalists and UFC champions. Nakamura has never faced that level of competition. He’s done well for himself in Japan, but the competition level is much weaker over there. Fedor Emelianenko, Ultimo Dragon, Mirko ‘Cro Cop,’ Vader, and the list goes on. All champions in Japan. All flamed out when they got on the big stage in America.

Nakamura has done well for himself in America thus far, but it’s been at the lower level. Beint NXT champion and wrestling in front of 200 people in the middle of nowhere is nothing like wrestling John Cena on live television with millions watching. Factor in the fact that the bout is for a shot at the WWE title at SummerSlam and the pressure increases that much more.

To his credit, Nakamura never seems rattled when in the ring. His playful and loose attitude gives the impression that he can handle any and all adversity thrown his way. Cena will test that on Tuesday. He’ll frustrate Nakamura with his ability to survive a flurry of Nakamura’s best strikes and then push him to the brink when he locks in the STF, a move so tight that there’s almost no escape.

This fight is everything for both men. Cena has already admitted that his time is coming to an end. He knows that this could be his last shot at competing for the biggest prize in the sport. And despite just making his WWE debut in April, Nakamura is 37-years-old. While he may earn his way back into title contention in the coming years, he may never get another shot at dethroning Cena. If he loses this bout, his future accomplishments mean nothing and his past accomplishments mean less.

This past weekend’s Jones-Cormier contest was just the appetizer. Cena against Nakamura is the main course.

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