For three-quarters of a year, WWE has had Shinsuke Nakamura and Rick Boogs team together on Smackdown. This was likely designed to help pull Nakamura out of the consistently poor booked hole he was in, and a way to bring Rick Boogs onto the main roster and familiarize him with crowds. However, in the long time that they’ve been aligned, not much of note has even happened, leading many to wonder why they’re even a team at all.
The Team Between Nakamura & Boogs Did Have Potential
At the start of 2021, Nakamura has perhaps at his lowest since his WWE debut. He was no longer challenging for world titles, winning Rumbles, or even winning titles. Despite one good performance in a gauntlet match, he was barely featured and would lose often. WWE decided to change him up with a face turn, bringing back his old music and reverting to his old act. This time, there was an added extra, and that was Rick Boogs.
Boogs was the former Eric Bugenhagen, who despite a small and popular stint on NXT, wasn’t used too much. He was an extra here and there on the main roster, winning the 24/7 Championship as “Joseph Average” in an Old Spice commercial. Despite that, he was doing very little, so it was a surprise to see his call-up. He began playing Nakamura’s music through his electric guitar, with an over-the-top presentation which he pulled off quite well. As time passed, the entrance became quite fun, with the crowd getting more into it, and Pat McAfee dancing to the tunes on the announce desk.
Things looked to be getting even more positive when Nakamura won the Intercontinental Championship in August, even if the win was completely out of nowhere when he beat the former champion Apollo Crews, who hadn’t had the best of reigns as champion. With a title on his shoulder, and fans getting back into his entrance, it seemed easy to come up with a story to get fans invested, especially with a new addition to his act. However, everything has gone wrong.
Boogs Was Made To Overshadow Nakamura Every Week
From the off, it seemed clear that WWE saw Boogs as the main man of the duo. He was front and center during the entrance, the commentary highlighted him often, and he began beating opponents with ease. This was odd, considering WWE had put the title on Nakamura, so seeing him constantly overshadowed did damage to both him and the title, especially since fans have seen the potential Nakamura has in becoming a top star in WWE, as he was very close to breaking that ceiling in the past.
Boogs has won some big matches, beating Sami Zayn and pinning former world champions such as Dolph Ziggler, whilst Nakamura has been the one to take the pinfall whenever they lose tag team matches. This is dire booking. To make matters even more baffling, WWE has given Boogs some losses too, losing to the likes of Angel on a random episode of Smackdown in just three minutes. If WWE sees Boogs as a star, then they should’ve just gone full throttle instead of handing him simple losses in which he looks weak. The way WWE has booked both men has lacked logic and has been incredibly backward in putting either man over, even with Boogs taking all the spotlight. Fans are not sold on Boogs, and that was evident in the Royal Rumble.
The Team Has Not Helped Either Man And Feels Pointless
The start of the 2022 Men’s Rumble saw Nakamura enter at number 2, but not last too long, being dumped out after five minutes. Later on, Boogs entered and eliminated Happy Corbin like he was nothing, being the man to stop him and Madcap Moss from running wild in the Rumble. However, the fans couldn’t have cared less for seeing Boogs in the ring. Whether it be his new haircut or simply because he wasn’t playing the guitar, fans were not invested.
It seemed that despite having him dominate anything that Nakamura has been a part of, Nakamura has retained his fans and support, but Boogs has gained very little. This is another example of this partnership not aiding either man, likely because there were zero plans when it started. Nakamura’s title reign has suffered, defending it once on TV since he won the belt nearly six months ago. It would perhaps have made sense if he and Boogs had set their sights on the tag team titles in the meantime, but they haven’t, instead of competing in 50/50 booking feuds, with the IC belt and Nakamura being an afterthought.