Will WWE roll with Shinsuke Nakamura as SmackDown heavyweight champ?

Reigning WWE SmackDown heavyweight champion Jinder Mahal has had his share of criticism, but the current storyline involving Shinsuke Nakamura could change all that. The former WWE NXT champion is the new fan favorite, and it may only be a matter of time before “The Artist” succeeds “The Modern Day Maharajah.”

From afar, physique shows that Nakamura will have a tough road ahead to become WWE champion.

But as most know, scripts have a way of altering all that. The 37-year-old has been into wrestling long enough to figure out a way against the handicap. That could come either the fair or dirty way.

Did you call for backup?

Aside from the big size advantage that Mahal holds over Nakamura, there are “The Singh Brothers” to worry about. Hence, the numbers game comes into effect, making the Japanese star’s title aspirations doubly hard.

The easy way is for Nakamura to get some help from the “SmackDown” roster. Unfortunately, there is no indication of that right now. There are some WWE stars left idle, and the creative team could form an impromptu tandem to balance the equation.

If no help arrives, "The Artist" could use his wits against Mahal. He could alleviate the numbers with a good game plan – including twists that could see Mahal’s faction disintegrate moving forward.

From the looks of it, a miscalculated interference would be the best way to break the team of Mahal and “The Singh Brothers.” That could happen in one match where Sunil and Samir interfere but end up costing Mahal the title.

Nakamura is making Mahal look good

To this day, most are left astonished on the move to install Mahal as the WWE heavyweight champion on “SmackDown.” Some have associated it with business, a move to spur up interest in regions like India.

Being a heel, the WWE has made a living building up the bad guys in the past.

Mahal has successfully portrayed that role, and the more fans hate him, the better it becomes for “The Modern Day Maharajah” and the WWE.

Mahal and Nakamura are slated to face each other at WWE “Hell in a Cell” this Sunday (Oct. 8) at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. “The Artist” gets another shot at Mahal’s title, a card that is expected to carry a lot of surprises.

The ambush that happened on the Oct. 3 edition of WWE “SmackDown” is likely to carry on to “Hell in a Cell,” clearly showing that Mahal has leverage. Come Sunday; it would not be surprising if Nakamura uses a new bag of tricks and show that he can compete against monsters as “The Modern Day Maharajah” and his minions (Sunil and Samir).