Rubuta ci gaba don wannan sakin layi - Nakamura ya yi gasa a wasan farko tun lokacin SummerSlam a ranar 11 ga Satumba na "SmackDown Live", ya rasa Jeff Hardy ta hanyar rashin cancanta bayan tsangwama daga Randy Orton. Bayan ya ƙi kare WWE United States Championship a cikin Jahannama a cikin Cell biya-da-gani, babban manajan Paige ya umarci Nakamura ya kare Championship a ranar 18 ga Satumba na "SmackDown Live", wanda ya yi nasara sosai, ya ci Rusev. A SmackDown 1000, Nakamura ya yi rashin nasara a kan Rey Mysterio a wasan neman shiga gasar cin kofin duniya ta WWE a Crown Jewel. Nakamura zai sami nasarar riƙe taken a ranar 30 ga Oktoba a cikin "SmackDown Live" a kan R-Gaskiya sannan kuma a kan Rusev a Crown Jewel. Nakamura ya yi rashin nasara a kan Raw's WWE Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins a cikin wasan tsakanin Champion vs Champion a Survivor Series. A ranar 25 ga Disamba na "SmackDown Live" (wanda aka yi rikodin a ranar 18 ga Disamba), Nakamura ya rasa WWE United States Championship zuwa Rusev, wanda ya ƙare mulkinsa a kwanaki 156. A ranar 27 ga Janairu, 2019, a Royal Rumble
, Nakamura ya doke Rusev don lashe gasar WWE ta biyu ta Amurka. Daga baya a wannan daren, ya halarci wasan Royal Rumble yana shiga # 3 amma Mustafa Ali ya kawar da shi.