Rick Boogs Forms New Alliance With Shinsuke Nakamura On Tonight’s WWE SmackDown

By Marc Middleton
nakamura rik boogz 1 WWE

Tonight's WWE SmackDown on FOX saw WWE NXT Superstar Rick Boogs (Eric Bugenhagen) make his blue brand debut.

Boogs came out with his electric guitar and interrupted a pre-match promo by King Baron Corbin, declaring that he came to rock with the real King of SmackDown – Shinsuke Nakamura. Nakamura then made his entrance, still wearing Corbin's stolen crown from the week before, while Boogs played along with his entrance on the guitar.

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Nakamura ended up defeating Corbin by pinfall as Boogs watched from ringside, playing the guitar at times and impressing Pat McAfee by performing on top of the announce table. As we've noted, last week's SmackDown saw Corbin defeat Nakamura, but Nakamura stole his crown after the match, and has been showing it off all week.

It looks like WWE has changed the way they are spelling the Boogs name. It was previously spelled "Rik Bugez" but tonight he and WWE have noted that "Rick Boogs" is now the correct spelling.

Boogs was seen on WWE TV earlier this year as he played the role of Old Spice representative Joseph Average in the vignettes for Old Spice's WrestleMania 37 sponsorship. Boogs, as Average, captured the WWE 24/7 Title twice in those vignettes.

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Boogs is a former powerlifter and bodybuilder who was signed in the fall of 2017. Despite just a few appearances in NXT, he has picked up a following due to his charisma and social media presence. It's also been reported that WWE officials have been impressed with Boogss since early on in his career, and had high hopes for his future with the company. He last wrestled on the March 7, 2020 NXT live event, defeating Tino Sabbatelli.

There's no word on what WWE has planned for Nakamura and Boogs after tonight's angle, but we will keep you updated. Below are several photos and videos from tonight's appearance:

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