Shinsuke Nakamura finally answered Seth Rollins’ challenge tonight on WWE Raw, choosing a Last Man Standing stipulation for their World Heavyweight Championship match at WWE Fastlane on October 7. The rematch is set after weeks of back-and-forth between the two, with the champion Rollins attempting to get another shot at Nakamura after Nakamura attacked him following their match at WWE Payback earlier this month. That match saw Rollins retain, with the former Shield member fighting through storyline injuries in the weeks since to go after Nakamura out of pride and anger.
Rollins and Nakamura have been feuding since mid-August, with Nakamura attacking Rollins after the two teamed up in a tag bout. Ahead of both their PLE matches, it is Rollins who has laid out the challenge against Nakamura, possibly indicating that the challenger has successfully manipulated the champion. Nakamura has been open about playing mind games with Rollins in the feud so far, and that’s only intensified on TV in recent weeks.
After Nakamura accepted the challenge and revealed the Last Man Standing stipulation, Rollins responded with a promo of his own. In it, Rollins exuded confidence while laying out what Nakamura can expect when the October 7 PLE rolls around.
“You guys, I gotta admit, I think Shinsuke Nakamura played this one perfectly,” Rollins said. “He really did. He got the match he wanted. He got it on his terms. He played it perfectly, but he has made one critical mistake. You see, Shinsuke Nakamura – he thinks that my broken back is a weakness. He thinks he’s gonna exploit that weakness; he’s gonna beat me so bad that my daughter is gonna be ashamed to look at me. But this broken back is not a weakness, Shinsuke. No, no, no. For me, it’s a strength. And the only way my family is gonna be ashamed of me is if I don’t give it every single thing I got.”
Rollins went on to state that he’s aware whenever he gets in the ring that it might be the last time, and assured his opponent he’s still going to give all his effort in every match. The World Heavyweight Champion finished off by hyping the upcoming title bout and letting the crowd, and Shinsuke, know that Rollins would be the one walking out of Fastlane.