Shinsuke Nakamura Returns On WWE SmackDown, Brings Back ‘The Rising Sun’ Theme
Shinsuke Nakamura made his return on the October 10th episode of WWE SmackDown, answering Sam Zayn’s open challenge for the WWE United States Championship.
Nakamura entered to “The Rising Sun,” which was his original theme when he debuted in 2016.
The bout ended by DQ when Tama Tonga returned and attacked Nakamura.
During the bout, Nakamura hit a Kinshasha, but Zayn managed to get his foot on the rope.
NAKAMURA ANSWERS THE US OPEN CHALLENGE
AND HE'S GOT HIS OLD THEME SONG BACK ❤️#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/4GGUnqFgKp
— The Movement – Pro Wrestling (@TheMovementXx) October 10, 2025
This was Nakamura’s first WWE match since June 13, 2025.
Shinsuke Nakamura made his WWE debut against Zayn at NXT TakeOver: Dallas.
Zayn has now made six successful title defenses during his United States Open Challenge series. He has now defended against Nakamura, John Cena, Carmelo Hayes, Aleister Black, Rey Fenix, and Je’Von Evans.
Fans can find spoilers from WWE SmackDown here.
