A new-look Shinsuke Nakamura returned to Friday Night Smackdown last night and took out the WWE United States champion LA Knight, who had just successfully defended his title against Berto.

Nakamura came out in a black outfit, covered in a dark brown trench coat and red paint on his face and waited for Knight to stop celebrating before knocking him out with an elbow followed by a Kinsasha.

The former NXT champion has not been seen on WWE television since April of this year but worked several non-televised live events along the way, including the recent Japan and European tours.

The Japanese star has already been advertised for the January 1 Pro Wrestling NOAH show in Japan.