For the first time in their storied careers, WWE superstars John Cena and Shinsuke Nakamura are set to square off.
And they'll do so in Cleveland.
WWE Smackdown Live general manager Daniel Bryan announced on Tuesday night that Cena and Nakamura will do battle on next week's show, which will air live from Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena. The winner of the match will go on to face WWE champion Jinder Mahal at the SummerSlam pay-per-view on Aug. 20 in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Dubbed a "dream matchup," Cena and Nakamura have yet to face off, despite possessing more than 30 combined years of experience in the professional wrestling industry between them.
A 16-time world champion, Cena has found recent success away from the squared circle, appearing in films such as "Trainwreck" and "Sisters." Nakamura, meanwhile, is a celebrity in his own right, having appeared in the Japanese version of Pharrell Williams' music video for the hit song "Happy."
After spending the first 13 years of his career in his home country, Nakamura made the move to the United States in 2016, joining WWE's developmental territory, NXT. "The King of Strong Style" was promoted to the company's main roster this past April, but with Cena taking a brief hiatus to focus on his outside ventures, the two had yet to cross paths.
That, however, will change next Tuesday.
Also announced for Smackdown Live next week is a United States championship match between A.J. Styles and Kevin Owens. As the broadcast went off the air on Tuesday night, WWE announcer John Bradshaw Layfield (also known as "JBL") touted the show next week as "one of the biggest Smackdowns in history."
And Cleveland will witness it live.
