Shinsuke Nakamura has a chance at the WWE Championship on August 20 at SummerSlam. All he has to do is beat John Cena on live TV.

Many of Nakamura's fans are already shaking their heads in doubt.

But considering Cena's part-time status and Nakamura's popularity, it could be that WWE will give The King of Strong Style the nod on SmackDown Live. If that happens, then the former New Japan megastar will find himself on the road to main event glory in Vince McMahon's company.

How did things change so quickly?

Nakamura is indeed one of the blue brand's most popular Superstars, but his booking to this point has been subpar at best. Instead of dominating in the ring as he did in Japan, Nakamura has found himself in highly competitive matches since arriving on the main roster.

Dolph Ziggler may not be on SmackDown Live's main event level, but he gave Nakamura all he could handle. Baron Corbin may be an untested future star, but he is Mister Money in the Bank and was no pushover in the ring against Nakamura.

Nakamura has yet to have a truly epic breakout performance in WWE, and now he's headed to a prime-time match with Cena. Perhaps that match will be the one that sparks his main event run.

But should Nakamura go over on Cena? It seems like the right idea to many who are anxious to see Nakamura elevated beyond his current position. However, the desire to see him succeed is also tempered with some negatives that could materialize if he does defeat Cena on August 1. 

As is often the case in WWE, there are two sides of the argument, and fans must determine which side they will take before SummerSlam.

The Pros

This is what fans have been waiting for.

This is less about Cena and more about Nakamura. The former IWGP champion is a star and fully capable of wowing audiences every time he steps between the ropes. He is very accustomed to the main event spotlight, and he was built for the WWE stage.

But WWE didn't seem to see that at all.

Nakamura has just been hanging around on SmackDown Live. Fans want him. He is the right star right now. But the company has yet to utilize him to his fullest potential. Instead of working as the ring general everyone knows he is, Nakamura has had to bump to Ziggler, who is just not part of WWE's plans.

Ziggler is also just there, treading water.

Corbin is a man on the way up, and that's evidenced by the briefcase he totes around. But to ask Nakamura to put Corbin over was perhaps a bit unfair, especially since The Lone Wolf seemed to have cooled off in recent months.

Why was Nakamura booked below his capability?

But now that's changed. Whether it was to spike the ratings on SmackDown Live or to create more buzz around SummerSlam, Nakamura is finally in the driver's seat. WWE must hit the accelerator and allow him to win the race.

Nakamura deserves this spot.

He also deserves the win over Cena, and he's also the best man to carry The New Era on Tuesday nights. He's a fresh face, and though he's a veteran, he's also new blood. He has the charisma, the intensity and the drive to make SmackDown Live the best program WWE puts on the air.

He will give Cena a five-star match. He will do even more for Jinder Mahal at SummerSlam.

The Mahal experiment has been interesting, and it's been entertaining. Mahal has grown as a star and has made believers of many WWE fans. But when Nakamura knocks on the door, then the company must do what's best for business.

Nakamura as WWE champion is precisely what's best for business. So is Nakamura vs. AJ Styles for the WWE Championship. That match will surely happen if Nakamura beats Cena on SmackDown Live.

The Cons

This has nothing to do with whether or not Nakamura deserves a title shot; this has to do with timing.

Right now the timing is all wrong. Despite how happy WWE fans are with the sudden elevation of Nakamura on SmackDown, the fact is something feels off here. Why pull Nakamura out of the mediocrity he's been mired in since he arrived, with no build at all? 

Are fans really to believe that this was the plan from the beginning? Is it even possible WWE would do something like this?

A proper growth period is needed before Nakamura, or anyone else, can reach the top. Yes, Nakamura is one of the best talents in the world. Yes, Nakamura is a future WWE champion. But should all of that happen just because he's popular?

What if he gets past Cena then beats Mahal at SummerSlam? What then? Will he lose it before the year is out? Will he lose it at WrestleMania 34 and then never touch it again? Is one SummerSlam win, one WWE title run, worth it if he never gets back to that level again?

Does that seem like something WWE wouldn't do? Or does that come straight from the playbook?

The truth is Nakamura is a not a WWE creation. Neither is Styles, and though he's a top guy, he's not the top guy. Both men will succeed only based on their own merit, not because WWE is propelling them to the top. If fans are content with seeing Nakamura run on the main event level, then fall victim to 50-50 booking, so be it. But Nakamura's supporters surely want nothing to do with that scenario.

It's taken time for Nakamura, that much is true. But it may take even longer. Would that really be a bad thing, considering the negatives that could come as a result of directionless booking?

Then there's the matter of WrestleMania 34. Why not keep working with Nakamura now, give fans a taste of what he can do, and then build him to that massive payoff in 2018? A Nakamura win for the WWE Championship on The Grandest Stage of Them All seems like the perfect place for the king's coronation.

If fans truly want to see Nakamura succeed, then it should happen on that stage. Anything less than a win at this point, especially at SummerSlam, would be a major disappointment.

Tom Clark can regularly be seen on Bleacher Report. His podcast, Tom Clark's Main Event, is available on iTunes, Google Play, iHeart Radio, Amazon Android, Windows Phone and online at boinkstudios.com